What could go right?

My father is a wise man. 

Recently, I was kvetching about some-such thing in my life, when he said, "Instead of thinking what could go wrong, why don't you think of what could go right?"

Wow.

That was a bucket of cold water on my pessimism. In a good way. My pessimism needs to take a backseat in my decision making.

"What could go wrong?" is a necessary thing to consider. Risk assessment is useful, but what happens when I forget that a positive element could exist? Risks are something that might happen. I look at risks all of the time, but sometimes I forget to look at the probability of that happening, which maybe low. I can get so wrapped up in low-likely risks, that I forget to look at high probability good things that might happen.

To answer "What could go right?" requires optimism. It requires faith and hope and most of all, courage. I don't find courage in my brain sitting next to the list of potential catastrophes. I find courage in my heart and my gut.

I recently found out I have pre-diabetes, which sucks. What could go wrong? I could continue to eat sugar and refined foods, and then I could get real diabetes which killed my grandfather. 

What could go right? 

I could read up on how to lower my blood sugar. I could get more exercise, lose some weight. I could potentially lower my blood sugar so I don't get all kinds of complications, and I could live a long and healthy life.

Not all bad news comes with a potential positive outcome. Sometimes the answers to "What could go wrong?" need to be heeded. Sometimes the risks of bad things happening are too high for my taste, like skydiving. I don't need to risk my life for five minutes of thrills. Most of the decisions in my life aren't so dramatic, and the risks are low.