The benefits of a negative outlook

I'm generally an upbeat, optimistic person. I believe in hope. I think that things will turn out in the end. These are the things that often come across to people when they first meet me. I'm an upper. But, the few people who take the time to get to know me better, realize that I'm often quite pessimistic -- just in the literal sense, and not the emotional sense. I generally forecast that bad things are going to happen. I'm constantly preparing myself, mentally as well as organizationally, for the worst. I expect to get fired. I think about myself or people close to me dying. I even spend a fair amount of time considering global catastrophes. It's just that I generally think that even when the worst happens, it's okay. I'm described as laid back. But that's more the end result of my process than it is my outlook. Because I spend my time thinking about bad things that might happen, I can come across as blasé when things do go wrong. When the car breaks down on the way to the airport, I shrug. I've already left early, or considered that I could take the next flight, or decided that it's not the end of the world if I miss that trip all together. I'm incredibly absent minded. So, to a great extend my generally pessimistic outlook is a reaction to me constantly forgetting important things and cocking up my own plans royally with obvious mistakes. On the one hand, this causes me to spend a lot more time with organization and planning than most people. On the other hand, it's given me a lot of experience muddling my way through messed up situations. And that experience has led me to believe that it's not that bad.