Optimism and its shadow...

As a self-proclaimed “optimist,” I always leave a bit of room for some healthy doubt and some protective fear. I'm no Pollyanna, and always practice a form of devil advocacy that's always on call - and reasonably well awake - to run before my mind's eye a “worst case scenario” in most of my pivotal endeavors. I don't obsess about this balancing practice, but it remains active in the background. It enables me to take corrective actions, anticipate bad developments and always be ready if anything falls apart. Most folks might call it a good dose of realism, yet my driving motivation remains the optimism that lights my road and fuels my resolve.