I recently learned the word pronoia: a feeling of the universe conspiring to help you (i.e. the opposite of paranoia). This is something I've felt for much of my life, though not for good reason. When I reflect, things out of my control have gone poorly more often than they've gone well. There are of course some significant exceptions, some small and some large, but generally I think being pronoid is unsustainable, despite how appealing I find it.
If one expects the universe to help them out, they may not push themselves as far as they can go. They may misinterpret the behaviour of others. They won't be prepared for when things awry.
For years now, I've pushed myself to see the silver lining, assume the best of others, and be optimistic. I now feel it may be important to pull this back a bit. Focus on pragmatism; be realistic.
We must be careful not to go too far either way. My emotions waver, and I have frequently been extremely unhappy. I've learned this is worst when I have no hope, so a vision of fulfillment is necessary, but simple pronoia is not the answer. I hope working towards progress is.
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