Yes, the author cherry picks numerous inept counterexamples like the one you cite and this one:

“Ceaseless optimism about the future only makes for a greater shock when things go wrong;"

This is utter pessimism. I feel sorry for people who are on board with it. In my experience, the gains garnished from being super optimistic and taking chances have been much greater than had I sat around on the couch not trying. I never achieve up to the level of my goals and imagination - but that's because I continuously push them higher and higher. Instead, I aim for Alpha Centauri and land on the moon.

I should also add that the emotion of _curiosity_ is a very powerful one for me. When I imagine the future, and I _don't know_ what something will be like, the curiosity is a very powerful motivator for me to at least try it out.