Sometimes it feels like being naïve is not a compliment. Many people use it in a context that creates a negative stigma around the word; they act like it is somehow problematic to be considered naïve. I like to think that I can spin this label that I’m often given to work in a new way. Yeah, maybe it was dumb of me to think that my ex-boyfriend and I could have lasted longer than we did. Maybe I should adjust my imagined future career to be just a little bit more attainable. Or maybe, instead of calling me naïve for thinking that things will work out for me some day, someone could stop and realize that these crazy beliefs I have are just my way of being optimistic.

Does believing that events will work out in my favor set me up for heartbreak and pain? Yes. But does being overly realistic and crushing my own dreams before they have the chance to work out SAVE me from heartbreak and pain? Absolutely not. The world is full of hurt and rejection and life is lived by overcoming obstacles and growing as a person after your heart is broken. And, because I’m aware of the fact that I can’t avoid the inevitable, I find it easier to believe it will all work out in my favor. Find a way to see every aspect of life in a positive light. Sometimes, I can get blindsided by an outcome, but I still wouldn’t trade my innocent outlook for a jaded one.

I can chalk up this mindset to the fact that I truly just believe the best of people. It’s an “innocent until proven guilty” kind of attitude. And even after there’s a letdown involved, there are second and third, and hundreds of chances to follow. I don’t mean let someone walk all over you. I mean give them the benefit of the doubt; have faith that they have the ability to be a good person.

Call it cliché, but seeing the glass half full instead of half empty is the way to live. It’s the constant optimistic state of mind that gets me out of bed every day, even when it feels like I don’t have the strength to. It doesn’t make me invincible, my heart has still been broken and I’ve dealt with as much disappointment as the next girl, but it does make life bearable.

I think a lot of times the people that spit out the naïve label are the same people that live in fear of being vulnerable. They are the same people who worry about allowing themselves to get their hopes up in case they are let down. But it’s important that these people remember that, odds are, you will be let down at some point. You have to be because there’s nothing to gain from never having to overcome difficult moments. I can promise you that playing everything safe is not a way of cheating the system. There is no loophole that gets you out of disappointment in your life. So, why not allow yourself to have big dreams? Why not let yourself believe in something whole-heartedly, even if it is a little far-fetched?

Redefining the word “naïve” as “optimistic” enables me to embrace my innocence and understand that it doesn’t have to disappear with age. Getting older doesn’t have to mean becoming cynical and losing positivity. Just like being naïve doesn’t mean that you haven’t experienced pain, it just means you’ve had the strength to not let it stop you from seeking happiness.