Optimism: Good or Very, Very Bad?

We are constantly being told to have confidence, to be optimistic, and that if we believe in ourselves, we can do it!  Well, these eye rolling confidence booster clichés are apparently unnecessary, as a recent study proves that 95% of the world’s population is naturally optimistic.

Hmm..now on the surface this everything-is gonna-be-all right mentality may seem like a positive thing, but where do we draw the line between confidence and cockiness? Between optimism and blind ignorance?

I’m totally a glass-is-half-full sorta girl, but I often wonder if all of that positivity is setting me up for major failure down the road. Is this optimism just setting us up for disaster and disappointment?  For goals that will never be reached and outcomes that are totally impossible?

Is it possible to be optimistic and realistic? What do you think?