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Ally · 03-19-2011, 07:18 PM

Mostly positive, but a bit of a worrier, married to a pessimist. I probably wouldn't worry as much, if my DH didn't get me doubting myself sometimes.

traineeinvestor · 03-19-2011, 07:25 PM

Old enough to know that there are plenty of things to worry about, that some of the things that I do worry about will come to pass but that I can deal with most of them and ignore most of the ones I can't deal with.

Does that make me an optimist, a realist or schizophrenic?

Ronstar · 03-19-2011, 10:27 PM

I'm positive, and I feel that I'm enjoying life to its fullest. Whenever I have a twinge of negativity coming on, I convince myself that sulking will not make the situation better.

Nords · 03-19-2011, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpy

As my avatar "Grumpy" would indicate I am primarily a negative person. I am a pessimist. This leads me to plan ahead, anticipate the kinds of things that can go wrong, and have alternatives in mind. This personality makes me skeptical of investments that are "too good to be true". I trust my own judgement and so I have always done my own investing, primarily in a contrarian approach.

USNA and the submarine force are hard-core devotees of the "Grumpy" curriculum model. In fact during critiques of our submarine drills the participants used to regularly shout down encouraging remarks with the admonition "No positive comments!!"

By now I've learned that my worries are just a way of showing my thirst for practical knowledge, so I research whatever topic I'm worrying about and eventually either stop worrying or change my behavior. Then I worry about something new.

These days spouse and I frequently pause to reflect that "Life is good" or look out upon our vista and proclaim "This is aloha, baby..."

glippy · 03-19-2011, 11:16 PM

I'm pessimistic about how I might be one of the unlucky ones to get a terminal illness before I have a chance to quit working.

That, however, makes me optimistic about the risks I take in my investments and career in order to get me out of the rat race early.

yakers · 03-20-2011, 12:03 AM

Quite happy most of the time. Wake up singing and drives my wife and others nutz. Younger son rolls his eyas and says 'Oh no, Dad is having another happy attack'! Not sure if its genetic, I do not remember being so happy as a child but had some experiences and just 'decided' to be happy and have been so ever since.

obgyn65 · 03-20-2011, 02:22 AM

1) I tend to be a negative person.

2) based on that, I am very conservative with my investments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hakuna matata

I was wondering this about people on this board (as opposed to some of the other boards I am a member of).

1. In general (I realize we all have our up/down days), are you a generally positive person, or a generally negative person?

2. Based on that how does that impact your thoughts about retirement and the future?

deserat · 03-20-2011, 02:33 AM

I'm positive about those things I have control over, and try not to worry about those I don't have control over. I tend to rehearse the possible outcomes of a specific actions beforehand ensuring I can 'handle' the best to the worst.

I believe one's attitude is a choice and that can affect their perspective.

Bottom line for me, life is better than death right now (as far as I know) and I'll do my best to enjoy it as much as possible.

I am semi-retired and could retire right now - my future is whatever I want it to be.

Silver · 03-20-2011, 06:58 AM

I'm a pessimist.

And I don't trust any glass to hold anything even up to halfway. And that's is on a good day...when I can find a glass.

WhoDaresWins · 03-20-2011, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg

Like Best wife ever I am Positive but a super worrier and I always plan for the worst & hope for the best .

Myself exactly! I think I am generally positive but tend to worry too much about all manner things. I waste a lot of energy this way. When I was younger, I was a definite "type B" personality...never worried about a gosh-darned thing, just lived in the moment and never a thought about what might happen, or what could happen. Maybe that was Youth, prior to the vicissitudes of life.

Midpack · 03-20-2011, 07:33 AM

Had to think about this one, I have certainly known both types. I am generally positive, but it's far more important to me to be at peace than strive for positive or negative per se.

I know that when bad things happen, they won't last forever. Most people realize this.

But I also know that good things don't last forever either. Many people spend their lives trying to prolong the good and avoid the bad. Neither is really possible.

Best to live in the present, not dwell on the past (good or bad), nor miss the present always thinking about the future. Life is now, always.

Bad things are a part of life and can't always be avoided, see these events as an opportunity to learn how to deal with them. Good things are also a part of life, but when you get too attached, you'll be disappointed when they end. There will be good times again...

There's a peace there in the middle IMO...

chinaco · 03-20-2011, 08:13 AM

As is usually the case in most of the forums topics... real life is more complex than the generalizations we often post.

I am Positive... but practical and careful.

But I admit, my outlook has changed a little from 30 years ago... I have a little more jaded than I was when I was younger.

rescueme · 03-20-2011, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinaco

But I admit, my outlook has changed a little from 30 years ago... I have a little more jaded than I was when I was younger.

And knew everything?

...

**Walt34** · 03-20-2011, 08:40 AM

I'd say "cautiously optimistic". At the core I like to look ahead and plan on what's coming next and enjoy that. But at the same time I know that "stuff happens" so I plan on what can go wrong, plan on how to deal with that, and when the resources are in place to deal with that then, and only then, do I feel free to go do fun stuff. This can be taken too far. I haven't planned in detail on what to do for a devastating earthquake or WWIII, other than impose on relatives, but some things like that would consume so much resources that there wouldn't be anything left for fun. But I'm not lying awake at night thinking about stuff that can go wrong. And we do have earthquake insurance. Around here it's really cheap.

Essentially, Responsibilities Come First, then go play. DW not only understands that, she appreciates it. If anything she is a bit more of a worrier than I am.

When she voices a concern I offer a way to deal with it, or point out that there's really nothing we can do about it so there's no point in investing a lot of time thinking about it.

ladypatriot · 03-20-2011, 08:42 AM

I'm a realistic optimist. I wake up looking forward to each new day; for me, it's always a new beginning. But I know - perhaps more than most - how much life can hurt, and how a broken heart never really heals, no matter how much time passes.

Seven years ago, my youngest son - our 4th child - died at the age of 7. He was our "surprise" baby, born when I was 38 and DH was 46. He was born with an often fatal genetic condition, had a bone marrow transplant when he was 6 months old, and suffered long-term complications which eventually claimed him. He was the greatest blessing of my life, and I thank God every day that I was his mother. He taught me to truly live each and every day, even in the midst of great pain.

So, I know how badly life can hurt, but I won't let that knowledge rob me of the joys that come into each day.

As for our portfolio, it reflects my optimism and DH's conservatism. Our house is paid for, we have no debt, we have only one more college education to pay for (and that is fully funded by a 529), and unless a Big Ass Black Swan happens and all asset classes are wiped out, we should be fine.

Pete · 03-20-2011, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo

Maybe you should ask the mods to change your forum name to "Mr. Sunshine".

Yes our genes, culture, and ego conspire to lead us to negative thoughts...but it gets worse.

I always thought of our minds as some limitless wonderful place. Not so. We're apparently limited to about 60,000 thoughts a day. Not too bad. But most of those thoughts are the same ones you had yesterday, and the day before... Add to that the fact we have the tendency to obsess about certain things (how do I look, do I weigh too much, when are the taxes due, I really want that new...whatever), and we find giant chunks of our limited thought being highjacked day after day toward negative (or at least not postitive)thinking.

I see that most of us in this forum call ourselves positive in nature. Maybe we're kidding ourselves or maybe it's because we found the secret. Simplicity? Frugality? Humility? Freedom?

It's not so for the masses though. Look at how much money the drug companies make, and what kind of drugs they make the most money on. Add to that illegal drugs, alcohol use, and the like...

It takes a lot of work to be happy. Glad to see so many people here think they are.

sheehs1 · 03-20-2011, 09:58 AM

If I had to ask the people around me they would say I worry too much. In truth I was a naive person in my twenties....which led to having been taken advantage of by other people that one would think one could trust.
That said, I think I'm a realist. Some days are positive and some are me worrying. Although I try not to worry about the things I can not control. Instead I worry about the things I can control...such as retirement planning. My husband is not an overly optimistic person..and sometimes that drives me nuts. Because ...at some point..this girl just wants to have some fun!!