9 Ways to Become More Realistic

Photo by Edu Lauton on Unsplash

If you’re overly optimistic. I feel you- I’m right there with you. Due to my overly optimistic nature, I often believe that everything is going to work out exactly like I want it to as long as I put in the effort and remain positive. The truth is, however, it doesn’t always happen that way.

Luckily, because of this same optimism, I tend to deal with setbacks and failures better than most. The problem, however, occurs when I push others to get outside of their comfort zones (because of my optimism). I know that my daughters have fallen victim to this extreme optimism on more than one occasion. As such, I’m working hard to become a bit more realistic for them and myself.

Here are some actions that I can take to that end and you can too:

1. Try to avoid all or nothing thinking. Outcomes are not wins or losses or black or white. There is something good in every negative outcome, and something bad in every positive one. It’s important to view it that way.
2. Avoid should statements. These are sayings like, “I should have known better,” or “I should have seen it coming.” We can never really know the outcome until it arrives so these type of statements are not helpful.
3. Be honest with yourself about everything from the probability to your own internal assumptions. When something is challenging or…