Do you see the glass as half full or half empty? The photo of the glass is a classic truism, I wonder who came up with it.
Now that we are nearly two months into 2010 and spring is a month away, I thought this would be a good time to measure your confidence in the US economy, personal spending and whether you think 2010 is going to end up better, the same or worse than 2009.
You are an optimist if you think 2010 will end up better than 2009, you are more excited to buy stuff and services and your expectations of what 2010 will bring are good.
You are a pessimist if you think 2010 will be equal to or worse than 2009, you are still not in the mood to buy stuff or services and you see a bleak future ahead of you.
Personally, moving into 2010 I was a mild optimist. Oh yeah, there are levels of each but for today, I’m not going to get into the levels. I think Americans are born optimistic and want to believe in good. Enduring pain is difficult at best and we have always found a way through the decades to feel good about ourselves even in crisis. I’m still on the + side but I am watching international developments in Greece, Spain and Italy and how the euro community, specifically Germany, handles the current mess they are in. This can have negative implications for the US if handled poorly. On the other hand, if they manage this properly, my optimistic meter will move up a notch.
So what will it be for you today? Are you an optimist or pessimist?
Happy Tuesday!
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