Optimist Realist.

Optimism. It is a hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.

Realism. The attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly.

I had a friend once tell me that they were optimistic about life, yet realistic about the world. I deemed the term "Optimist Realist" and have done a lot of thinking about that recently. As I have studied the scriptures I see that there are many people that are able to have both these realistic and optimistic qualities. They are able to take situations given to them, bad or good, and make conditions better. They know the situation, whatever it may be, can have a successful outcome and they are prepared and ready to deal with whatever is able to happen.

That is something that I have tried recently to learn from and apply in my own life. I have heard the saying "When life gives you Lemons, make lemonade" and that is that optimist realist thought! It is important to be positive about things, yet realistic about them too.

Ammon, one of my personal favorite Book of Mormon missionaries, is a perfect example of this. He shows how he is realistic about what is going on, but also optimistic that something better can come. At one point in his missionary life he found himself serving a king. He was instructed to stay with the other servants and protect the flocks of the king. Well the bad guys came and scattered the flocks. The other servants are having a very sad day knowing they may be punished for not protecting the sheep. This is a bad situation that they were all in.
Having a realistic outlook Ammon knew things could be bad for them. Rather than just giving up he was optimistic in what could happen. He used this situation to share the gospel! He showed his faith in acting. I love what Alma 17:29 says.

"Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words." --Alma 17:29

Ammon then goes out and gathers the flocks and protects them when the bad guys come back. He uses the power of God to protect himself and the others with him. This example that he sets eventually turns many hearts to God. Those who had not even known they were searching for answers were able to find them in turning to Heavenly Father.

I just love that example. Ammon really did make lemonade with what poor situation he had been dealt with. He did not, however, do this alone. He had help from a loving Heavenly Father who had promised to protect him in his work (Mosiah 28:7).


I know I need to be better at this! I need to have more of an optimistic and realistic outlook on the things I am dealt in life. With Heavenly Father all things are possible, I know that. I know that as we turn to him and continually have our hearts centered on him we can find the positives behind all that we are given.