There have been few moments in my life where I have been completely hopeless. So much so, that I have called myself an "insufferable optimist" in the past. However, that definition does not quite fit because it does not encapsulate the doubt and complete lack of faith I tend to have on certain occasions. So this is what it's like to be someone who questions everything, but ultimately has hope things will work out for the best.

1. I give people a second chance, but not a third.

I genuinely like giving people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe that person cut me off in traffic because they need to chase the love of their life before they leave the country. Maybe the passer-by who rudely bumped into me without an apology had to put their dog down that morning. I believe everyone is capable of good and evil, and long-term character is more important than individual actions. So when a friend does something that hurts me, I don't immediately write off that friendship. But when someone repeatedly fails to live up to the expectations I have for the relationship, I stop engaging. It is not worth my mental sanity to continuously give people third, fourth, and fifth chances.

2. I give better advice than I take.

The reason this happens is because I can play the hopeful, yet objective party for someone else who is dealing with a problem. You think your dreams are too big? Well, someone has to achieve them! You're worried you'll get rejected? You won't know until you ask, and the worst they can say is no! You're going through a tough time? You'll learn something invaluable by the end of it!

While these are all encouraging, positive things my friends benefit from hearing and often say back to me when I seek their own advice, I still don't like hearing it sometimes. I criticize myself for the lofty goals I have in life. I let the fear of rejection hinder me from taking risks, however calculated. And when I am in the thick of a crappy circumstance or I have made a mistake myself, I definitely do not want to hear that I will benefit from this experience one day.

3. This election did not defeat me.

I understand my privilege in being able to say that I can move forward from this election. It is my friends who will be directly affected by the potential laws to come that could take away their rights. But this election has started a dialogue like no other and provided me with an opportunity to stand up for my and my friends' rights. I have always wondered to myself what it would have been like to be alive and protest during the 1960s against the Vietnam War or for women's birth control or against segregation. But this election has reminded me that there is a revolution for every generation. We build upon the battles our predecessors have fought in order to have a brighter tomorrow.

4. I have hope for "Cars 3."

PIXAR is the love of my life, and they have proved beyond a doubt that they can make phenomenal sequels. "Toy Story 2" and "Toy Story 3" added storylines and character development that enriched the original tale while remaining outstanding on their own. "Toy Story 3" was nominated for best picture at the 2011 Oscar's for Stinky Pete's sake. But other sequels like "Monsters University" and "Finding Dory," while delightful, did not seem necessary to me. So audiences are mixed: we're stoked for an "Incredibles" sequel, but not at all psyched for a third Cars film.

But the trailer has proved itself to be unlike anything I anticipated coming from a PIXAR film, let alone from the "Cars" franchise. While it echoes Doc's storyline in the first film (a race-car who's out of the job once he recovers from a crash), this film looks like it could explore that concept in depth with the lead character.

And so needless to say...

5. I don't think 2017 will be shit.

But I don't think it will be the best year ever, either.

Every New Year, people say the incoming year will be their/the country's/the world's best year yet. Or, if you're a pessimist, you say it will be the worst. I don't think either of these notions are productive. A saying I often turn to when explaining the way I approach life is, "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst."

This idiom calls to mind action and accountability. If I am disappointed with an outcome, it is because I did not accurately prepare for whatever it could be. There is even the possibility that I can't prepare for the outcome that happens, so I need to take it in stride. I am ultimately in control of how I react to an outcome because it is up to me to be hopeful or not.

We make our journeys by walking, one foot in front of the other and one day at a time. Every day has the possibility to be a great one. And much of that is dependent upon our outlook. When we are cautiously hopeful about the world, we are prepared, we don't let it hurt us, and we tend to have a sunnier disposition than many others who surround us.

So I'm optimistic that I will always be hopeful, if not a little skeptical.