Just like it's not healthy to think overly negative thoughts

Hear the wisdom of Amy Morin, who spoke thus: “Just like it's not healthy to think overly negative thoughts, exaggeratedly positive thoughts can be equally detrimental. If you overestimate how much of a positive impact a particular change will have on your life, you may end up feeling disappointed when reality doesn't live up to your fantasy.” These words, balanced like a blade, remind us that the path of wisdom lies not at the extremes but at the center. To dwell in negativity poisons the soul with despair, but to live in exaggerated positivity blinds the heart with illusions. Both rob us of strength, both leave us unprepared for the trials of the real world.

The meaning of her words strikes at the root of human expectation. Many imagine that a single change—a new possession, a new relationship, a new achievement—will transform their lives into unbroken bliss. Yet when reality reveals itself, imperfect and ordinary, disappointment descends with crushing force. Just as darkness blinds, so does excessive light. Morin warns us: guard your mind not only from despair, but also from delusion. True positivity is not fantasy—it is courage in the face of reality, hope tempered with truth.

History bears witness to this lesson. Consider the seekers of gold in California’s Gold Rush. They left homes, families, and nations, believing riches would flow like rivers at their feet. Songs were sung, dreams were magnified, hope was inflated into fantasy. Yet for most, the reality was hunger, cold, and disappointment, while only a few found wealth. The rush did not deliver paradise; it delivered hardship. Here we see Morin’s words made flesh: overestimated positivity can bring as much ruin as despair.

The ancients themselves warned of this imbalance. The Greeks spoke of hubris, the overreaching pride and expectation that led heroes to destruction. Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, believed the sky itself would bend to his wings. His fall was not born of negativity but of exaggerated hope that blinded him to limits. Thus Morin’s insight is ancient truth renewed: neither sink into despair nor soar into fantasy, but walk the middle path of grounded faith.

Yet this is not a call to abandon hope, nor to smother joy. It is a call to practice realistic optimism—to believe in the possibility of good, but to keep your feet upon the earth. The wise man builds not on shifting sand but on rock; the wise woman hopes, but she also prepares. To expect too much of change is to hand over one’s happiness to fate. To expect wisely is to find joy in progress itself, without demanding perfection from every moment.

The lesson for us is clear: cultivate balance in thought. When negative voices whisper despair, resist them. When fantasies of effortless joy seduce you, temper them with patience. Ask yourself: What can this change truly bring? What must I continue to work for, even after this change comes? In this way, you guard your heart from disappointment while still nurturing hope. For life is not transformed in a single moment but shaped by steady choices, day after day.

So I say unto you: heed Morin’s wisdom. Be not enslaved by negativity, nor deceived by exaggerated positivity. Let your mind be disciplined, your hope grounded, your spirit resilient. Dream, yes—but dream with open eyes. Work, yes—but work without expecting perfection. In this balance lies true strength. And when others are crushed by despair or disappointment, you will stand firm, able to move forward with calm, steady joy, building a life that is neither fantasy nor ruin, but a lasting harmony of hope and reality.