A new year for many means new goals. New goals means a new direction and new habits (never mind that a majority of Americans have failed in their new year’s resolutions by now). People generally like to keep their chin up, even in angst.

In recent interviews and the stories I have written for the newspaper (particularly for the forthcoming Progress Chenango), I’ve heard the words “cautiously optimistic” thrown at me more times than ever before.

The phrase has echoed from business owners, elected officials, volunteers, non-profit directors, and taxpayers repeatedly. Government and school administrators are seeing improvements in the economy, but they’re cautiously optimistic about receiving additional funding down the line. Several business owners maintain the largest profit margins in nearly five years, but are cautiously optimistic about how their business will fare in the next year. And non-profit agencies have seen growth in charitable contributions but are cautiously optimistic about what to expect down the road.

In theory, “cautiously optimistic” is a way of saying things are looking up, but let’s not get excited. Perhaps a more appropriate phrasing is “being realistic.” Akin to being realistic, being cautiously optimistic takes into account the bad and the good. True, nobody – especially leaders in business, government, schools and non-profits – wants to be known as a worrier. Not to mention, being realistic is closely associated with pessimism, which itself is a label nobody wants.