Positiving vs. Responsibility

I have a very hard time finding balance between maintaining a positive outlook (particularly related to finances) and being responsible with my decision making.

I very much believe in risk management. I also believe in the importance of forecasting and managing against forecasts.

I can understand that there can be a perception that making decisions and planning based on what is forecasted to be a weak environment can be perceived as "not being positive." But what happens if you don't properly plan and manage, and that weak forecast becomes a reality? In that scenario, you have dug a much deeper hole for yourself by not taking early action. If you had reduce your lifestyle by 10% for a one year period by taking early action, you would need to reduce your lifestyle by 20% if you wait six months before making changes based on reality. The difference between adjusting 10% and 20% can be significant and truly painful, as many costs are "fixed" and cannot be adjusted.

But let's assume that you manage based on a weak forecast, but the reality becomes stronger than expected. In that case, while you may have reduced your lifestyle in the short term some percentage, you are able to immediately increase your lifestyle back to at the very minimum previous levels.