5 Signs You’re a Pessimist

5 Signs You’re a Pessimist

Evie Carrick 

If you’re a pessimist, chances are you don’t view yourself as one. You may think of yourself as a realist or a cynic. Maybe you even value your ability to cut through the crap and tell it like it is. The problem is that your pessimism may be dragging down your co-workers, your partner, and even your family and friends. 

Pessimists constantly perceive things in a negative light and opt for a “glass half empty” mentality. This doomsday way of looking at the world has the power to not only bring down those around you, but also dampen your success in the workplace and hinder you own emotional growth. As Winston Churchill once put it, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Still not sure if you’re a pessimist? Wonder where you fall on the pessimism spectrum? These five signs of pessimism should help you cut through any confusion or doubt.

1. You discredit victory

Achieving a victory | Source: Thinkstock

Say you land the job you’ve been gunning for or get chosen to represent your community at a public forum. Rather than attributing that success to hard work, you may consider it a lucky coincidence. Pessimists have trouble correlating their actions and efforts to the end result. Next time something good happens to you, notice how you react to it. Do you celebrate yourself for a job well done or do you talk down your successes and attribute them to luck and chance? Expecting positive outcomes will lead to better-than-anticipated results, while anticipating the worst, or explaining positive outcomes as luck, can actually hinder your progress.

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