Many times, a smile is mistaken for what it is not. A smile can actually be used as a make-up to cover anxieties, problems and struggles. We use smiles to curate an image of success and give an insistence that everything is fine. While this is not bad in itself, a smile becomes a facade when we use it to ignore glaring problems. In doing this, we can back ourselves into the position where we use our smiles to pass on the message of “all is well”, while ignoring the truth, denying reality and clinging to delusional perceptions. In this state, we become the very thing that smothers the fire of our true potential. We become what holds us back.
This is the state of Naive Optimism. A place where we allow ourselves enjoy the facade we want others to see, while we do nothing about the problem. Inwardly, we want things to change but we have cornered ourselves to the place where our fear of failure, protecting our ego and social pressure makes it look safer to live in denial or ignore the reality of disappointment or the pain associated with admitting mistakes or struggles as an attack on our self worth.
Naive optimism is an illusion. It is not harmless. It extracts a steep price from us:
It makes us stagnated. Ignoring problems means never solving them. Growth requires acknowledging where you are to move forward.
We plunge into anxiety. Deep down, you know the truth that all is not well. Suppressing it creates a constant, hum of anxiety that the smiles you use as facade can never fully silence.
You erode relationships. People can sense when you are not authentic. Maintaining a facade makes you isolated, preventing genuine connection and support.
You suffer a crushing weight from always trying to look perfect and at ease when things are the opposite. The energy spent maintaining the illusion is exhausting. It leaves little for actual progress or joy. One of the best lessons of life I learnt early is to live your life in the best of ways, that you are able to take all your calls, no matter where you find yourself.
You will experience missed opportunities as you never know who can help you. Real solutions and genuine support often lie on the other side of acknowledging your problem. Denial blinds you and other people to the problems.
Naive optimism is not a state of resilience because truth is the foundation of real resilience. When we accept the truth of our situation, and embrace the journey to the solution, then we have built a bridge from living in fantasy to laying our feet on the solid ground of hoping for the best.
