Hope for the Best and Plan for the Worst

You really have to be able to just strike a balance between hoping for the best, and planning for the worst. Planning is not really negative thinking, it's trying to foresee how a given situation might play out and having a "plan B" in mind in case it doesn't go the way you hoped. Insurance companies make their existence on this state of mind. People with experience in life begin to automatically think this way because in the past perhaps they hadn't, and wished they had. Just being careful isn't "negative thinking" either. For instance once in a while I get the time to go mountain biking in the wilds near where I live. If I know I might go into unfamiliar territory, I take a cellphone, GPS, some snacks and extra water with me. When I start, I simply take into consideration that there's a possibility of some sort of accident happening; I don't dwell on it, I merely make some preparations because I know the probability is there. Someone whom I would define as a true negative thinker would just sit at home in the dark and never embark on this journey, because the fear of anything bad happening overrides any desire to go.

Star This to Save in Your Profile