Is pessimism just your personality? Catholic counselor Deacon Randy Kiel of Kardia Counseling explains why pessimism is actually a condition born of unprocessed hardship, and why true optimism flows from Christian hope in Jesus Christ. He offers practical, faith-rooted steps for anyone stuck in a negative outlook to begin moving toward hope.
Deacon Randy Kiel, a licensed mental health counselor and founder of Kardia Counseling in central Iowa, joins Bo Bonner for his monthly segment on the Catholic Morning Show to take on the classic question: is the glass half empty or half full?
Deacon Randy explains that optimism isn't simply a personality type — it flows from hope, and hope isn't an emotion but a spiritual reality rooted in Jesus Christ. Pessimism, by contrast, develops when difficult, painful, or disappointing experiences aren't processed well. He points to Saint Paul writing letters of encouragement from prison, and to sick patients who end up cheering their caregivers, as pictures of suffering transformed by hope. He also shares a memorable story from his own first experience in therapy as a young man — and why it taught him what not to do.
For anyone stuck in a funk, Deacon Randy offers two practical steps: don't treat "realism" as a safe middle ground ("realism is just a pessimist in a Halloween costume"), and make a conscious, purposeful effort to look for something good — turn on a lamp, open the curtains, take a walk, or simply remember that you took a breath and it worked.
Learn more about Deacon Randy's practice at Kardia Counseling.
Heard on the Catholic Morning Show, weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio. More at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
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