Stress testing looks at what could go wrong. It looks at all possibilities and says: what would the outcome be if what could go wrong eventually goes wrong? And we sometimes take that same outlook towards the things we do, towards our dreams, our thoughts, imaginations.

We tend to look at it from the standpoint of how bad things could get. We imagine situations where things go off the rail, where the inputs worsen, where execution is flawed, where the help doesn't come, where the people you trust to show up disappoint. And yes, that's a possibility. However, that is not the only possibility.

We should not train our mind to only see the universe of things that could go wrong. Things can go right too. It's okay to stress test. But we shouldn't stop there. We should enlarge our mind to look beyond what could go wrong. Because things can go right.

We should also think about the best-case scenario. What if everything that could go right goes right? What if everything turns for your favor?

Optimism is not ignoring the possibility that things could go wrong. It is the presence of mind to see that in the midst of uncertainties, it is still fine to be hopeful, that good still happen, and that the best-case scenario can still come to pass.