FIVE TYPES OF OUTLOOK IN LIFE

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” These are inspirational
quotes from Dr. Wayne Dyer, an American philosopher and a motivational speaker in the field of self-
development. Changing the way you look at things gives you a better view and angle of it. You are able to
tell not only on one side, but on the different sides of it. But if you tend to look one-sided, you are not able
to discover everything, in other words, your view is stagnant and unchanging.

According to Mr. Victor Dominique Galang, a successful I.T. Developer in Dubai, a person’s point
of view or general attitude in life is called “Outlook.” A person’s outlook differ as he or she encounters
problems in life. Mr. Galang stated that outlook can be classified into five main types, namely: Optimism,
Pessimism, Realism, Idealism and Opportunism.

Optimism refers to a belief or hope that the general outcome of a struggles will be positive.
According to Mr. Galang, “An optimist person is someone who always sees the bright side of any situation.”
He/she tends to be confident and positive on everything. However, Mr. Galang stated that being an optimist
can be both encouraging and annoying, depending on the perception of other people. Having
overconfidence can make other people look down at themselves. But being optimist can save someone
from his or her problem. According to Mr. Galang, Faith to the Almighty God improves someone’s
confidence, thus making a person stronger and became firm.

Pessimism, on the other hand is the opposite of optimism. Mr. Galang stated that thinking the
worse or negative thinking on any situation is an indication of pessimism. A pessimist lacks hope and
confidence in everything. In other words, pessimism makes someone paralyzed due to the fact that the
outcome will always fail and gives bad result. However, everyone experiences pessimism in their life when
they loses hope in a situation. According to Mr. Galang, there is always a negative side in someone’s
positive mind. Negative thinking can result to depression and may eventually failure in life.

Another type is what we call Realism. From the word itself, realism is viewing things as they are.
According to Mr. Galang, realist people tends to look for the reason why things happen in such ways. He or
she accepts the deals of a situation, either positive or negative. Thus, realists can be both optimist and
pessimist. Mr. Galang stated that most of the time, a realist based his or her principles in recent events
then relates it to some possible events that can happen in the future.
 The next type is Idealism. An idealist person believes that everything was shaped by ideas and
concepts. Mr. Galang stated that some people define an idealist as naïve, impractical and out of touch in
reality. As opposed to realists, idealists believes that achieving perfection can make the world a better
place. However, being an idealist is not always a good things as someone may set goals that are too
impossible to achieve. On the other hand, a realist sets achievable goals and follow their pursuit in a more
planned manner.

The last type of outlook is called Opportunism. Opportunist can be defined as someone who takes
the advantage of any opportunity to advance on their own situation Mr. Galang stated that, “An opportunist
takes every chance that is available.” He or she takes opportunities to improve one’s self and use that
experience to succeed in the same situations.

In conclusion, having a single outlook alone doesn’t make sense at all. These traits have great
impact on someone’s life. In facing every situation, one should know what to do in order to succeed. You
should know yourself. You have to understand who you are in order for you to become stronger. Always be
positive and careful in every situation. Avoid having a negative mindset as it can lead you to failure. Lastly,
follow your own track and enjoy the ride.

-Jhune Dominique P. Galang