Why Defaulting to Pessimism Sabotages Your Career

Realism is a mark of seniority, optimism is a trait of visionaries, pessimism is what puts your work and career in danger. The difference is subtle and lies in how you conclude situations. The realist says, “The timeline is tight and the dependencies are unclear.” The pessimist says, “The timeline is tight and the dependencies are unclear, so this isn’t going to work.” The optimist says, “The timeline is tight and the dependencies are unclear, so here’s what we’d need to do to ship it.”