- A skeptic is someone who is reluctant to believe;
- A cynic is someone who refuses to believe;
- A pessimist is someone who has given up on believing.
- A skeptic is someone who once believed and was let down and disappointed;
- A cynic is someone who once believed and was deceived and traumatized;
- A pessimist is a cynic is someone who just got tired of fighting, gave up and withdrew.
- Deep inside all skeptics is the desire to believe again, but to do so without the fear of being let down or disappointed;
- Deep inside most cynics is the desire to believe again without the fear of being deceived or traumatized;
- Deeper inside pessimists is a willingness to believe again, but it will require:
a.Your being patient with them
b. The opportunity for them to express why they stopped believing and became so pessimistic
b. Your listening, understanding and validating how they could feel that way... and then your committing to never putting them in that position again and then never doing it