Optimism is remembering that incomplete stories still contain unknown advantages.

You are always judging a situation from partway through, and the parts you have not seen include advantages you cannot currently imagine. Chapters change what earlier chapters meant. Concluding from the middle treats an incomplete story as a finished one.

When things look settled and bad, remind yourself how much of the story is still unwritten and how often you have been wrong about endings. Keep acting as though what comes next matters. It usually does.