Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ “Realistic Thinking”, not to be confused with short-sighted “positive thinking” or its distorted cousin idealism, is the bedrock thought process of highly successful human beings.
While it’s okay to be optimistic, it’s wise to also examine the future’s possibilities. A reason exists why most of the brightest minds engaged in scientific discovery, successful business and government leadership, and in creative pursuits are grounded in the “here and now”, observe feedback, and examine both the upsides and downsides of a potential path. A “realistic thinker” examines the “multidimensionality of everything” and leaves few stones unturned in their investigatory and decision making process.
For the realistic thinker “positive thinking” is given short shrift. It is viewed as simplistic and lacks a clear reading of negative feedback when things don’t work. We seldom ever see a “realistic thinker” repeating the same mistakes and still expecting a positive outcome. “Realistic thinkers” are resilient and learn quickly from their errors and from what works. Pollyanna is not among their muses. Efficient reality testers, realistic thinkers are prone to notice patterns and trends well before others do. They often create them.
Here is an entertaining video on the value of “realistic thinking” as explained by Barbara Ehrenreich:
