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I like the idea of staying flexible in my thoughts and actions, and it seems like the goals of being confident, optimistic and kind at all times shouldn’t conflict with each other. So I will compare those concepts and consider if they are independent and can be fully manifest without conflicting.

Is there an aspect of confidence that somehow conflicts with optimism, or kindness? Obviously there are troubles in this world that are beyond our ability to cope with, and it seems that maintaining confidence has some limits. So what are the limits of confidence? Perhaps it should be thought of as an attitude of confidence to cope with those things that are within our power at the moment, but also we need confidence to let those things be as they are, that are beyond our power to influence. We are compelled to recognize that almost everything is outside of our control, or even influence, because the world and the universe are very big. Thus confidence accepts that the world is what it is and we are what we are and the two don’t necessarily always have identical ways of behaving but they can exist in harmony. So confidence becomes an attitude of existence that things that can be dealt with will be, and there is no need to fall into despair when they are outside of our influence. I will do what I can when things present themselves to be acted upon, and come what may, that new state will be what it is. I will maintain my attitude of confidence that I can do what I can do, and be at peace with the results.

Optimism seems to go tightly with confidence; it has the aspect of maintaining the attitude that ultimately the local world and the whole universe will get along just fine, with or without my existence or input. I have goals that I will pursue, but even if they are unfulfilled there will still be a whole world of things that will present themselves to me that I can participate with; it is the participation with the world and everything available within it that makes life satisfying.

Kindness is the ultimate of these life actions because kind acts involve other people and living things. When we help others to achieve their aspirations we are helping the universe to fulfill a latent life force. This idea implies that I value living and proceeding toward living goals as the ultimate ideal, and those goals are not only my personal ones, but they include all others’ goals too. Those closest to me will be the greatest recipients of my striving to fulfill this universal drive toward living, but I can have an effect on life that is distant from me, even if it will remain totally unknown to me. Confidence and optimism don’t seem to be in conflict with kindness, in this view; they are aids to fulfilling kindness; they are part of the attitude which permits personal kindness to become a reality in personal actions.

It may be that even within the strange world of improv comedy, such as is seen in Saturday Night Live, it is possible to be self-confident, optimistic and kind even while playing various characters that require being disciplinary or even criminal. Or an elementary school teacher might still manifest an attitude of confidence, optimism and kindness while compelling a wayward student to behave properly. Perhaps even in a destructive combat situation where another’s life is being destroyed, it has the goal of helping all life to a better satisfaction, and not just personally involved local life.

The attitudes of confidence and optimism are supportive of kindness; they all support each other and they are mutually inclusive, but kindness is in the actions.