Debate between my Wife and I. Input is appreciated.

Is the glass half empty or half full?  Yes.  You're both right.  It's a matter of how you view it.

I agree with the above statement, too. ^^^^^^^^

Andi

Attitude and outcome are intertwined. 

You've presented two situations where an acceptable outcome resulted from a challenging situation.  Having a generally upbeat attitude allowed you to ride out the disruption to a surprisingly positive outcome.  You're more likely to ride out the next setback as well. 

Your wife might not exhibit that same patience and the turmoil from the initial setback proves so disruptive that she "gives up" before the acceptable outcome materializes.  In her experiences, setbacks end negatively and she becomes less and less likely to ride one out in the future. 

My wife is the optimist (naive) and I'm the pessimist (realist). We balance each other out. I believe a lot of our attitudes to be related to our upbringing. I have to always be aware of my attitude and try to remain positive and optimistic. To a certain degree I believe my pessimism is an inherited/learned trait.

ETA: I use naive and realist in jest. Kinda.

1).  The wife is always right.
2).  If in disagreement, see 1).

This is quite true often.  I help provide computers to users in a big company.  There are certain guidelines that we follow on who can have an upgrade and who can't, but there is a fair amount of use your best judgement.  I am way more likely to bend the rules for a person who calls that is friendly, positive and optomistic than I am for a person who is pessimistic.

On a personal note I have made the conscious choice to change my pessimistic nature to a more optomistic nature.  Not only does life seem better but it actually has been better.  I'm more open to people and experiences that have been making life worth while. 

Yes!  Optimism also helps people weather change.  My bf is a pessimist and I'm an optimist.  I'm always happy and he gets grumpy frequently.  An example: we get dessert. It's small so it's finished quickly.  I think "that was great!"  He thinks "that was too small!"  It's caused some issues in the past, but we balance each other out and he's becoming better natured.   When I was a kid my mom always said, "it's better than a hit on the head with a stick."  Funny philosophy but almost always true, at least in the day to day stuff.  

I think you are understating the severity of the conflict and it will bite you on the backside.

But seriously, I like what McFuzz said, and I see it in action a bunch. There are dozens of cliches and motivational phrases that sum up the impact of attitude on outcomes, and I like 'em all. Lots of people think I am a huge optimist and always certain of a positive outcome. It's almost never the case. I believe that a positive outcome can happen, and I will do everything I can to contribute. If I hit a roadblock, I am not gonna bag it because of one barrier. Part of this is accepting that there will be challenges, and that I am up for them, so when they come I try to take them in stride, or adapt as needed. Everything we do is preparation for something bigger and better to come, so if I give up today, what will I do when I hit a bigger obstacle?

Aw what the hell am I saying? You are all triathletes. You already know all this stuff. Carry on.

Optimists invented airplanes. Pessimists invented parachutes. Both are useful.

OTOH, the wife is always right. And in this case, studies show that mildly depressed and pessimistic people have more accurate perceptions of the world as it is. Optimists tend to discount and forget bad things that happen, giving them a more positive bias in their outlook. 

I think the difference is normally what someone pays attention to.  Similar to counting blue cars.  If you spend time counting blue cars, you are likely to surmise that there are a very large number of blue cars. But if you were able to go back and count colors of all cars, you'd see that this was just a illusion. 

dp

Opptomists apear to be luckier because they KNOW it's going to workout, so they keep working at it until it does.

Pessimists don't think it's going to happen, so give up.  Then of course it WON'T since they don't even try.

Generally speaking....