Attitudes to life

How do you look at the world? - Are you a glass half empty or half full person?

Optimism / an optimist / optimistic

To look on the bright side / count your blessings
Light at the end of the tunnel / to hang in there
To be cautiously optimistic
To have rose-tinted spectacles (used to describe an optimist implying they are naïve / unrealistic)
To be a cockeyed optimist (stupidly so)

Pessimism / pessimist / pessimistic

To never look on the bright side
To have a bleak/grey future
To take a dim view of something
To be a downer/buzz-kill
A pessimist uses negative expressions to describe things eg: a complete wash-out / a shit show / utter disaster / what a farce / not surprising! / typical! / what did you expect?


A realist /realistic

To keep your chin up / to keep a stiff upper lip
To make the most/best of something

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
if - rudyard kipling

An opportunist

To take advantage of something
Seize the day
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

Some famous sayings

Every cloud has a silver lining / one door closes, another one opens

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade

“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious of the rose.” - Kahlil Gibran

Discussion:

What do we think each other are? What do we think we are ? (we can ask students)
Are you more of an optimist, pessimist or realist? Are you happy with your attitude or would you like to change it?
Do you enjoy being with optimistic/pessimistic/realistic people or do you find them annoying?
Was last year really a wasted year? What negative and positive things have resulted from COVID this past year?

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