Choo optimism
Rich Devos
1 If you expect something to turn out badly, it probably will。 Pessimism is ldom disappointed. But the same principle also works in rever。 If you expect good things to happen， they usually do！ There ems to be a natural cau-and-effect relationship between optimism and success。
2 Optimism and pessimism are both powerful forces, and each of us must choo which we want to shape our outlook and our expectations. There is enough good and bad in everyone’s life-—ample sorrow and happiness, sufficient joy and pain--to find a rational basis for either optimism or pessimism。 We can choo to laugh or cry， bless or cur. It's our decision： From which perspective do we want to view life？ Will we look up in hope or down in despair?
3 I believe in the upward look. I choo to highlight the positive and slip right over the nega
tive. I am an optimist by choice as much as by nature。 Sure， I know that sorrow exists。 I am in my 70s now， and I've lived through more than one crisis. But when all is said and done， I find that the good in life far outweighs the bad.
4 An optimistic attitude is not a luxury; it’s a necessity。 The way you look at life will determine how you feel, how you perform， and how well you will get along with other people。 Converly， negative thoughts， attitudes， and expectations feed on themlves； they become a lf—fulfilling prophecy. Pessimism creates a dismal place where no one wants to live.
5 Years ago， I drove into a rvice station to get some gas. It was a beautiful day， and I was feeling great。 As I walked into the station to pay for the gas， the attendant said to me， ”How do you feel？” That emed like an odd question, but I felt fine and told him so。 "You don’t look well，” he replied. This took me completely by surpri. A little less confidently, I told him that I had never felt better。 Without hesitation， he continued to tell me how bad I looked and that my skin appeared yellow。
6 By the time I left the rvice station, I was feeling a little uneasy. About a block away， I pulled over to the side of the road to look at my face in the mirror. How did I feel？ Was I jaundiced? Was everything all right? By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel a little queasy。 Did I have a bad liver？ Had I picked up some rare dia？
7 The next time I went into that gas station, feeling fine again， I figured out what had happened。 The place had recently been painted a bright, bilious yellow， and the light reflecting off the walls made everyone inside look as though they had hepatitis! I wondered how many other folks had reacted the way I did。 I had let one short conversation with a total stranger change my attitude for an entire day. He told me I looked sick, and before long， I was actually feeling sick. That single negative obrvation had a profound effect on the way I felt and acted。
8 The only thing more powerful than negativism is a positive affirmation, a word of optimism and hope. One of the things I am most thankful for is the fact that I have grown up in a nation with a grand tradition of optimism. When a whole culture adopts an upward
look, incredible things can be accomplished。 When the world is en as a hopeful， positive place, people are empowered to attempt and to achieve。
9 In the abnce of optimism， however， we are left with nothing but critics， naysayers, and prophets of doom。 When a nation expects the worst from its people and institutions， and its experts focus exclusively on faults, hope dies。 Too many people spend too much time looking down rather than up, finding fault with their country's political institutions, economic system， educational establishment， religious organizations, and--worst of all——with each other.
10 Faultfinding expends so much negative energy that nothing is left over for positive action. It takes courage and strength to solve the genuine problems that afflict every society. Sure， there will always be things that need fixing. But the question is， Do you want to spend your time and energy tearing things down or building them up？
11 The staging of a Broadway show could illustrate my point。 Let's say a new production is about to open。 A playwright has polished the script, investors have put up t
he money, and the theater has been rented. A director has been chon， actors have been auditioned and lected， and the cast has been rehearsing for weeks。 Set， lighting, and sound engineers have been hard at work. By the time opening night arrives， nearly a hundred people have labored tirelessly——all working long hours to make magic for their audience。
