2-39: Still Smiling
A Case for Optimism
I was sitting in the sauna, catching up with a friend I’d met recently. As he stood up to leave and reached for the door, he paused and said, “Every time I see you, man, you have a smile on your face.” It was framed simply as an observation, and almost a question to himself. I’ve seen him only 10-15 times, but apparently most or all of those I’ve worn a smile. My first instinct upon hearing this was to be surprised. I’m not going around intentionally trying to look happy. I take it as me genuinely being happy. I can’t see myself being anything else.
Upon reflecting on this, I appreciate his honesty and the fact that he chose to say it to me. So often, we notice something about another person and keep it to ourselves, assuming it goes without saying, when in reality, it often doesn’t. A brief comment, offered without an agenda, can have a significant impact on the other person.
Elon Musk recently said in an interview that it is better to be an optimist and wrong than a pessimist and right. The statement is easy to dismiss as motivational shorthand, but it is a remarkably powerful way to live your life. Truly living optimistically means being able to continuously bet on yourself, whether or not the odds are in your favor.
An invaluable side effect of being an optimist and wrong is failure and what failing can teach you. Being a correct pessimist does not result in the same failings, and thus you are not educated to the same extent as you are when you are an incorrect optimist. Pessimism imposes a cognitive tax before effort even begins, draining attention through preemptive doubt. Optimism, by contrast, allocates energy toward execution rather than rehearsal of failure.
Optimism, as underscored by my friend’s comment, acts as a powerful social gravity. People instinctively orient themselves toward those who wholeheartedly believe in positive outcomes. Optimism attracts momentum because it invites conversation, collaboration, and shared effort. People are more willing to engage, contribute, and take risks alongside someone who signals that forward motion is still worthwhile.
I think back to my friend’s comment and now consider it a signal, or a reminder to keep wearing the same smile with pride. Optimism matters because it enables us to take risks that we otherwise wouldn’t. Progress is most often derived through those optimistic enough to take action, even at the risk of being wrong.