Optimism

So, being a psychology major, you hear a million times that depressed individuals have a very realistic view of the world (one that is bleak and ultimately leads one to be more depressed) where as everybody else is way too optimistic. But keep on keepin' on with the optimism. For one it makes you happier to think of things that could be so why not. Also, being successful in life is essentially all luck. I mean you could argue that it's working hard and proving yourself. However, working hard to me means to keep optimistic and keep on trying things until something works. Let me give you an example...

In "Pursuit of Happyness" the character played by Will Smith is trying to get an internship with a brokerage. He keeps trying to talk to the individual in charge of hiring and is continually blown off. He keeps on trying and trying. Eventually, he's able to do something to impress the guy(in this particular case, he solves a Rubik's cube). He gets the internship and eventually gets a job with brokerage. I know this is a movie and probably exaggerated but the message is what I'm getting at. He kept trying, he kept his optimism high even though if he was thinking of it logically there was no way the guy should have even considered him (he had no experience or education pertaining to the position and did not have the network of connections to get his foot in the door). If he was realistic about it then nothing would have happened and it would have been a very boring and depressing movie. But he had that unrealistic and over optimistic view of how things could be.

Keep optimistic about things. Take some risks (not ones that will land you in jail or completely ruin your life) but things where there's really no harm if you fail (ask that person out that you've never talked to and see once every few months ... why wouldn't you, there is absolutely no harm except the mild heart attack you get from thinking about it each time you see that person ... push past it). This is especially if you are young. Before you get shackled down with mouths to feed and a mortgage to pay make some risky decisions. Odds are they probably won't work out but what if, by chance, something does? The world is a scary place, if you can keep your optimism and keep trying things then never let it stop!