kovu
unendlichkeit
- Nov 15, 2021
- 83
The other day (by which I mean yesterday), I talked to someone akin to a therapist. I don't know her actual qualifications , but she has some. It's a service that's being offered at a course I'm currently attending (have to) as I'm out of work. While we were conversing, the topic of my entrance exam (which I have tomorrow) came up. I was frank about my chances of making it—it's quite competitive, and there are thousands of applicants to hundreds of spots. The odds, especially as I'm not as well-prepared as I'd like to be, are not in my favour.
So, I told her I'll probably not get in. I'll still attend, and I'll try my absolute best, but statistically, I probably won't receive a spot. Her answer was that I couldn't receive a spot if I went into the exam with that mindest. And I understand that language influences us, be it the way we phrase things, the words we choose, etc. But even then, it's more of a confidence thing, in my opinion—something that's going to help you more so during a speech or some such.
A realistic predisposition (which, to many people, will automatically appear as a negative/pessimistic attitude) doesn't necessarily have to influence the result. Whether I tell myself that I'm going to make it or not, the questions will remain the same, my knowledge will remain the same, and my answers to the questions will also remain the same. In the heat of the moment, it doesn't really matter if you told yourself you're (statistically) going to fail or (hopefully) going to achieve success.
Au contraire, in some situations, some negative thinking can even help you out. It makes you cautious, prepared. You don't go at things willy-nilly, hoping that it will work out, but you plan out contingencies in case you fail—because you're realistic about your chances. It's why I've got a plan B in case I don't pass the test. I'm also prepping a last-minute plan C that might also work out. We'll see.
What do you think? I'm writing this post because she really wouldn't budge on that particular viewpoint. Even when I tried to tell her that I'm not being pessimistic and when she acknowledged that I'm just being realistic, she still acted like I couldn't possibly be successful if I don't tell myself that I'm going to make it. Not that I didn't enjoy the conversation—she was likeable and quite agreeable—but that specific insistence bugged me.
My personal motto has long been: If you don't expect anything, you won't be disappointed. I've often gotten my hopes up for nothing, and that's not something you want to repeat again and again when your life's like mine: a literal cavalcade of disappointment.
So, what do you think? Are you an optimist, pessimist or realist? And how do you approach things like that; do you tell yourself you'll succeed? Are you realistic about where your chances are and what you might expect? Do you think being a pessimist is a self-fulfilling prophecy?
So, I told her I'll probably not get in. I'll still attend, and I'll try my absolute best, but statistically, I probably won't receive a spot. Her answer was that I couldn't receive a spot if I went into the exam with that mindest. And I understand that language influences us, be it the way we phrase things, the words we choose, etc. But even then, it's more of a confidence thing, in my opinion—something that's going to help you more so during a speech or some such.
A realistic predisposition (which, to many people, will automatically appear as a negative/pessimistic attitude) doesn't necessarily have to influence the result. Whether I tell myself that I'm going to make it or not, the questions will remain the same, my knowledge will remain the same, and my answers to the questions will also remain the same. In the heat of the moment, it doesn't really matter if you told yourself you're (statistically) going to fail or (hopefully) going to achieve success.
Au contraire, in some situations, some negative thinking can even help you out. It makes you cautious, prepared. You don't go at things willy-nilly, hoping that it will work out, but you plan out contingencies in case you fail—because you're realistic about your chances. It's why I've got a plan B in case I don't pass the test. I'm also prepping a last-minute plan C that might also work out. We'll see.
What do you think? I'm writing this post because she really wouldn't budge on that particular viewpoint. Even when I tried to tell her that I'm not being pessimistic and when she acknowledged that I'm just being realistic, she still acted like I couldn't possibly be successful if I don't tell myself that I'm going to make it. Not that I didn't enjoy the conversation—she was likeable and quite agreeable—but that specific insistence bugged me.
My personal motto has long been: If you don't expect anything, you won't be disappointed. I've often gotten my hopes up for nothing, and that's not something you want to repeat again and again when your life's like mine: a literal cavalcade of disappointment.
So, what do you think? Are you an optimist, pessimist or realist? And how do you approach things like that; do you tell yourself you'll succeed? Are you realistic about where your chances are and what you might expect? Do you think being a pessimist is a self-fulfilling prophecy?
