Does That Glass Of Water Look Half Full Or Half Empty?

By nature, human beings are impatient. We want good things to show up in our lives and we want them to show up now. Let's face it, we live in a microwave society - we don't want to wait around for anything.

When it takes longer than expected for goodness to materialize, frustration sets in.

For example, if you've ever placed second in a contest, are you the type of person to throw in the towel and not try again? Or, would you be proud of a respectable showing and use the experience to push for better results the next time?

In life, you will be constantly confronted with having to make choices. You may opt to have a pessimistic point of view and make self-defeating choices or you may decide to take an optimistic point of view and make empowering choices for yourself.

Which route you go is entirely up to you. Nobody can tell you to be a victim or a victor; you can only make that decision for yourself. If your desire is to discover how to succeed in life then choose to be a victor, choose optimism - it goes hand in hand with being positive.

So why nurture an optimist's point of view? And why now?

Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and high morale; to scholastic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.

On the other hand, the rates of depression and pessimism have never been higher than they are today. There is a lot of suffering in the world today but it just doesn't have to be that way. Yes, these are difficult and challenging times but turning things around in your life all starts from within. It all starts with you.

Here's why it's crucial for you to be an optimist: Optimists expect the best. They expect the best and they always get it. Optimism is a habit. Don't expect to get the best today and then have it magically show up tomorrow. You must practice optimism everyday even on those days when things just seem to really suck.

Here is another great piece of advice on optimism you'd want to heed: stay away from bad news. The self-defeating pessimist is influenced greatly by external events. They will, forexample, watch the news, constantly feeding themselves economic doom and gloom. They will then say that their lousy lot in life is to be blamed on a difficult economy.

The truth is optimists are confronted with the same difficulties of this world. What differs is the way in which they deal with tough challenges. They see difficulties as temporary events and defeat as a temporary setback.

Plus, and most importantly, you get what you give. Positive events and positive people are naturally drawn to the optimist. And you guessed it, the pessimist naturally attracts difficulties and negativity.

I know there are times when it will seem virtually impossible to see your situation in a positive way. Sometimes life challenges us to a point where throwing in the towel seems to be the only choice which can be made. And, yes, sometimes that is the case.  But, always make sure you've done everything you're capable of doing prior to giving up on something.