When Amazon started, critics said online retail would never take off and consumers would never trust a product they haven’t seen first. When Steve Jobs launched the iPhone with one big touchscreen, others argued it could never compete with the physical keyboards on Blackberry and Nokia devices. When the first Bitcoin was mined, bankers and finance gurus alike dismissed it as a scam and a bubble. These products command trillions in market share today.

Pessimism allows you to posture as smarter than others by highlighting risks, flaws, and potential failures. You can point to data and historical precedents, as many things simply don’t work until they do. But coming across as smart won’t always translate to success.

Optimism allows you to see opportunities where others see obstacles. While pessimists are busy explaining why something will fail, optimists are busy figuring out how to make it work. This bias toward action is what drives progress - and profit. History rewards those who bet on the future, not those who predict its demise.

The truth is, pessimism feels safe. It’s easy to criticize and hard to create. But the real world rewards builders, not critics. Optimists embrace uncertainty and take calculated risks. They’re the ones starting businesses, investing in new ideas, and pushing boundaries. People will forever remember innovators and disruptors. If you fail nine times and are massively successful the tenth, people will remember you as successful. Failures are forgettable, use that to your advantage.

Pessimists sound smart because they’re often right - in the short term. There are things that seem impossible until someone disruptive makes them possible. Optimists make money because they’re right in the long term. The future belongs to those who believe in it, not those who fear it. So, while it feels safe to side with the pessimists and protect your ego, remember: fortune favors the bold.