The Four Secrets Of Optimism

I really hate these stock photos of people.

The secrets of pessimism:

1) Don't let people confuse you about the difference between pessimism and cynicism.

2) Accept that society is not designed for people with a great imagination. In fact, society takes great efforts to crush it and stamp it out and replace it with banal materialistic goals.

3) Don't expect anything from anyone.

4) Assume you will never achieve your goals, but work hard at them anyway. Never lay down and die. Stay on your feet and spit in life's eye all the way to the grave. This world doesn't deserve your unconditional surrender. Fight it to the death, just because you can. That's what it means to be a prickly curmudgeon.

5) Happiness is irrelevant. Life is about failure and coping with it, and the best way to cope is to sneer at life's poisons and diseases and keep on truckin'. Negativity only drags you down if you let it. You can instead turn it into a relentless fuel that abides none of this world's shenanigans and keeps your fists clenched until the day you die.

If people want to call that optimism, they can if they want. But it's not affirmation. It's denial -- denial of life's pains, a refusal to accept life for what it is, because the way life goes is precisely because of the actions of other people. So if something bad happens to you, it's not luck. It's some jack@ss who you've never even met fulfilling his goals at the expense of yours. Don't let this world get away with it. Punish it by staying alive and spitting in its eye. That's what it means to be a pessimist. "Life sucks, and then we die". But it's better to die angry and vindictive than stale and listless. Some might say it's better to die happy and upbeat, but joy-joy and rainbows and glitter just aren't in the cards -- or even desired -- by the pessimist. They come off as illusions: opiates of the brain. Better to suffer and become stronger by it than delude oneself with rationalizations of "growth" and "learning".

To each their own, of course. Just expect the pessimist to smirk at the optimist. It's part and parcel.

I think this is something a lot of us could use. Negative thinking can really bog you down.

Head in the clouds, great, however, keep your feet on the ground too, or else risk becoming delusional.and avoiding reality.

These are great tips and they do work--especially when you express gratitude. The misconception that many have about optimists is that they think you're always super happy or unrealistic but thats not true. Being an optimist is learning to find your peace. Learning to let go of the things you have NO control over and CHOOSING to see things in the better light. You get what you expect. If you only look for the negative you are sure to get it. Life has tons of challenges and to only look at the negative is to miss out on the millions of blessings and good things/people that come your way. :-) Everyone can have a bad day, but you can say "Ok, today really sucked. It was something I couldn't control. I'm feeling a bit down/hurt. But it could have been way worse. Tomorrow is bound to be better. I feel it." Optimists choose to see each day as unique and an opportunity for better and new. Negativity would have you see it as a series of bad days with no end in sight and thereby missing the little bits of good that happen in a day. It's a choice. I have the power to choose how I react to a situation by how I frame it in my mind.

So is the glass half-full or half-empty? Or is it half full of urine?

its also a way to maximize needing surgery when you play positive thinking and ignore the reasons you are in pain as real , rather then complain grateful for the ability to feel, rather then be paralyzed, only to find your life there because you could have had therapy not surgery

The great thing is, You can get control of your thoughts and make the happiness level you want and make a habit of how you think.
By being thankful for every little thing, being constantly grateful and knowing all things are as they should be; the world becomes a perfect beautiful place. Even when difficulties arise; it's all okay & cool, because the difficulties came when the should have, because there is no other way...
The universe is all perfect, there are no mistakes. There are just different ways of perceiving things up in your brain.
Have a beautiful fantastic day ya'll!..... I am!

picking up rocks is not a chore.... it's a collection!

"The optimist proclaims we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true." (James Branch Cabell) 1879-1958 in the Silver Stallion. I would agree, but with one addition, "One makes one's own world." That does not change this Quote, but gives a simplistic addition. Only you know what you are thinking, and the pessimist is always trying to change your mind. These four steps in this article, aim recognition at the fact you want to be optomistic and be healthy, because negativity is a real killer. I'm optomistic about that. mrfix1

i do these things everyday. i am happy.

An Optimist: Someone who says "What a Fool I used to Be"

"The Power of Positive Thinking" written by Norman Vincent Peale...This book can change your life. Negative attitude is a "downer" .... Positive attitude is an "UPPER" .... There is always something good on the way.

I always tried to find a little time for nature, finding the busy silence of the fields and woods to be comforting and refreshing. I find prayer to be the exact same kind of refreshing as sitting on a hilltop. It's a chance to sort through all of my thoughts, to the bottom of my problems, and find me still at the top with God. Prayer also helps to turn myself back to the perfect goal -what I believe God ordained for my life, giving me a clear purpose. Nothing is as positive as clarity. My personal favorite declaration is "plan for the worst, hope for the best and be prepared for whatever comes."

My list of the best ways to be / continue to be optimistic would include;
focusing on the positive things in your life, refrain from getting into
conversations with drama filled people, and always try to remember
that no matter what difficulties you may face at the moment, there
are perhaps hundreds of people who face worse problems than you.

Thoughtful said, "Think about having to live on the streets in India, or Afghanastan, or a mud hut somewhere." Is that supposed to make me feel postive, because other people are suffering and not I?

The serenity prayer is the key, whether you are religious or not. It is a waste of time and life to worry about things out of our control, you can only control yourself. You can call it "letting go" or "giving it to God" or whatever floats your boat. It doesn't mean you forget about the bad things but you take the burden off yourself a little so you can move on.

Being Optimistic works at any age. Just have to keep the faith.

Hilarious about how right after this positive, uplifting piece, there's a "rubbernecking as you drive by the wreck" voyeuristic piece about "6 celebrities gone bankrupt."

As someone who has turned their life around by trying positive thinking for a change, I feel truly sorry for those who commented on here who cant see the light at the end of the tunnel. Bottom line, when you think positive, you draw more positive things into your life, including postitive people. If you think negatively, you draw more negative into your life. I have a peace in my life I havent had in years now. Bad days? oh yeah they still happen, everyday is not rose petals and unicorns, but life is still good in the end after they pass if you keep an upbeat attitude! I wish that for all of you also.