Purple Haze
Let it be
By Lauren Bagian

Feb. 26, 2009

As a writer, I have found that it is very easy to let my imagination run wild. When I get excited about something, whether if it’s an audition, a concert or if I did really well on a test, I tend to think about it constantly, planning in my head or envisioning my success. Some life coaches and psychologists say visualizing your success is a great confidence tool, but in my opinion, visualizing an outcome too much isn’t always the best way to go. Of course being a positive thinker is great; optimism is what keeps the world turning. Then there is pessimism, which is exhausting. Some say that it keeps them from disappointment, but it tends to keep them from joy too. I have both types of thoughts, which is confusing as well. This leads into my discussion this week: is there really a way to avoid disappointment in our life experiences?

When you visualize how something is going to be, you get a picture in your head that may or may not resemble the outcome, whether or not the outcome is favorable to begin with. You can’t let yourself get so set on an idea that you cannot be content or pleased with an outcome that isn’t like your vision. Some of us, I especially, look at things through a black and white lens. Just because it’s not what we thought it would be doesn’t mean it’s not good.

Then there are the pessimists, looking at the glass half empty and always envisioning the worst outcome so that when it isn’t as bad as we originally expected we are pleasantly surprised. That’s no way to look at certain situations either. Though the disappointment factor is taken away, the pessimism stays, making it hard to get excited about anything.

A lot of my articles this year have been based around moderation in all areas of life, and this is just another extrapolation on the same topic. Life is what it is; we cannot control everything that happens. Some of it will be good, some of it will be bad, but mostly life is simply remarkable. We have to enjoy the ride, no matter how bumpy it may become, because we have no idea what the track ahead may look like, though the image may be in our heads.