Optimism is an active, empowering, constructive attitude that creates conditions for success by focusing and acting on possibilities and opportunities. Optimism is the attitude of champions, the fuel of hope, the enemy of despair, and the creator of the future. Developing and strengthening this dynamic life skill is one of the most effective ways of adding to your personal power.

Optimism is a general disposition to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation. It is a positive and empowering rational attitude toward our individual and collective possibilities. It is the belief that our future will contain desirable outcomes.

Optimism and pessimism affect your entire worldview. Your whole approach to living is either empowered or neutered depending on which style of thinking predominates. The principles of optimism provide keys for unlocking your full potential. An optimist cannot be stopped, spooked, pushed aside, or bullied. An optimist will respond to all obstacles, all attacks and setbacks with calmness, determination, and a creative, problem-solving attitude.

Tenacity is essential when you encounter setbacks on the way to any goal. Optimists learn from the setbacks and then try a different approach. In contrast, pessimists throw in the towel, concoct an excuse, and succumb to depression and apathy. Optimists direct their thoughts and actions toward constructive problem solving and purposeful activity; they do not stagnate in the distractions of pessi- mism and worry.

Many people feel virtuous and justified by complaining about problems rather than focusing on solutions. Destructive criticism feels easier than constructive thinking. While we all experience negative events, the difference between optimists and pessimists is that the latter takes less action to prevent bad things from happening, and when negative events do occur they make them seem worse by thinking persistently negatively and helplessly about them.

We must also come to acknowledge the dangers lurking in a half-hearted approach to optimism. We do others and ourselves no favors if we replace a pes- simistic mentality with a passive optimism that assures us that all will work out well without personal effort. You must integrate the motivating, uplifting effects of optimism with an active, responsible approach to living. Merely believing that everything will work out fine without taking action makes one a foolish rather than a dynamic optimist. For optimism to give us the power to overcome the limits in our lives, it needs to fully recognize reality, not hide from it. For optimism to maximize our abilities and happiness, we have to take responsibility for our thoughts, our attitudes, and our actions.

Optimism forms a core part of emotional life expansion. If we wish to live effectively, we will have to root out self-defeating pessimism and replace it with a rational, active form of optimism. Becoming an effective optimist requires more of us than putting on a forced smile and telling ourselves “everything will work out for the best.”

Living at full capacity—a capacity beyond what most of us imagine possible— asks us to go beyond superficial formulas such as “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!” and to understand an intelligent form of optimism. We will only expand the vitality and achievement in our lives if we understand what optimism is, why pessimism holds us back, and why some kinds of optimism actually restrain us rather than project us forward.

In claiming to be an optimist, you are saying more than the fact that you simply expect life to get better. Optimists go beyond holding certain beliefs about the future; they also display certain attitudes. A hopeful attitude allows you to remain optimistic during uncertain times and to transform the negativity of any situation into opportunities for growth, progress, and achievement.

No matter how realistic and rational we are, we have no choice but to focus our attention and attitude. Optimists choose to focus primarily on thoughts, events, and interpretations that induce joy, encouragement, pleasure, and constructive activity. They will look at the same world as pessimists but notice different things, and see the same things in different ways. One admires a well- tailored suit; the other cannot see anything but a tiny stain in the jacket. One enjoys the colors of a beautiful rainbow; the other complains about the rain. Optimists spend most of their time focused on opportunities, on being with people who they enjoy and benefit from, and on thoughts that energize them. Optimists can look at a frustrating event, fully accept its reality, and then choose to interpret the event in a way that leads to action, growth, and mastery.

Effective optimism requires that we understand the part we play in bringing about the results we want. An optimist realizes that goals and excellence can be reliably achieved only through personal effort. Wishful thinking cannot substitute for active pursuit of the life we want.

Taking responsibility for our actions and attitudes requires a strong sense of purpose. Without a clear vision of our destination, we will find it hard to get anywhere. Being responsible necessitates self-discipline—as we make our choices through the day, we need to keep our goals and values in mind, remain focused, and resist distractions. More than that, taking responsibility means persisting at working toward what matters to us. Persistence and perseverance are virtues of character found in all successful, optimistic people.

Optimism involves personal commitments to certain modes of thinking and behaving. By mastering these modes of thinking and adopting optimistic atttudes, you can profoundly influence your thinking, behavior, happiness, and achievement.

Optimists believe that a positive approach can make all the difference in the world. They brighten spirits and create hope and confidence in the future. During difficult times, taking a positive approach, maintaining an upbeat out- look, and making a commitment to creating a more optimistic future will differentiate you from the majority of people.

This world is full of possibility. We can achieve almost anything we can conceive. Yet we will move forward only by turning goals into practical, rational, responsible thinking. This kind of thinking will naturally generate productive activity.

Through positive action in their communities, business, and personal life, optimists believe they can create a better tomorrow. It is imperative that you cultivate a climate of optimism throughout your life because an optimistic attitude counts!

Everything Counts – Gary Ryan Bair