Being optimistic, not delusional.

Very often, people will say, "Hey, when you're a best-selling author I can say I knew you when!" or "Let me know when the movie is coming out!"

I know this is the conversational equivalent of "How ya doing?" Nevertheless I can't let it go unchallenged.

"That is extremely unlikely," I say.

The funny thing is, people seem to believe that I'm being pessimistic, or that I don't have confidence in myself.

To me, it's the opposite.

What I'm saying is -- even though I can clearly see that the odds of anything like that happening are extremely long, I am still willing to give it a go. I still think I have what it takes, with a little help and a little luck.

That to me that is optimism.  Knowing it probably won't happen, but trying anyway.

Thinking it is going to happen, without looking at it soberly, doesn't take much willpower or stamina or discipline.  It's just being delusional.

When you're delusional, you aren't seeing the world correctly. You're likely to make stupid mistakes, you're likely to overestimate your power and influence.

Worse, you'll probably give up when the world gives you something other than your delusion.

So I prefer to understand how the world really works, as best I can, and then say, "Fuck it, I'm going to try anyway."

You know, someone has to be the one that gets lucky. 

But I think it's important to recognize it as such.