Who’s Afraid of Tragic Optimism?

July 31st, 2024 by Kelly Kienzle

Does optimism ever feel like a risk?  Whenever I consider tackling a big project, I sometimes shy away from believing in it wholeheartedly.  I temper my optimism because I fear disappointment or regret if it fails.  I worry that having too much exuberance will cause me to underestimate or overlook the gravity or threats of a project.

Necessary Input

Yet, I recently read how “optimism is the necessary input to meeting a challenge.”  So, if I don’t activate my optimism at the start, my project is more likely to fail.

And I am a firm believer that a positive mindset increases the likelihood of a successful outcome.  Watching the dogged determination and cool confidence of the Olympic athletes as they soar into their achievements is my proof.

But did they ever believe they could not succeed?  Did the difficult circumstances of their lives ever feel insurmountable to them?

Quite likely.  So how did they move forward?  They, and we, can move forward by employing tragic optimism.

The Wise Grandparent

Tragic optimism is the wise grandparent to pure optimism.  Pure optimism is simply a belief that we will succeed.  Tragic optimism is a belief we will succeed, even in difficult circumstances.

An Olympic sprinter will generate optimism before their race.  If a strong headwind blows in, they will generate tragic optimism to continue to believe in their success, despite the unfavorable conditions.

For me and my habit of seeing the potential pitfalls of a big idea, I now want to embrace tragic optimism, instead of despondent pessimism.  Pessimism would cause me to hold back from engaging in big projects because I can see all the ways in which it will be hard to achieve success.

But tragic optimism allows me to recognize those unfavorable conditions, yet also choose to believe in my ultimate success. I see the success and the challenges, at the same time.