Honesty and Optimism

Am I a cynic? And, if I am...is it silly to be?

Here's the scoop.

I'm pretty blunt, and once I decide I believe something or feel something, I'm pretty deliberate and straight forward about it. I consider myself to be honest about the world and about myself and who I am. But, that honesty is abrasive and certainly borders on skepticism and cynicism.

But that honesty has costs. I am so hard on myself - though admittedly, not hard on others - because of it. Maybe it makes me push myself too hard or to fester about things unnecessarily. It's...hard to be so honest about things...why not be optimistic...or err on the side of optimism?

What's the balance between honesty and optimism? I know that there has to be something better than cagy honesty or irreverent optimism.

But how?