Thomas alva Edison is a well known inventor that is known for his positive attitude towards life and the role his belief and optimism played in his inventions. Edison was in the process of inventing his well-known invention (the incandescent lamp).The headache in this process is to find a suitable material that glows on heating. He was trying a lot of combinations to suite his need but in vain (it is a pity tungsten was not popular in those days). Thomas was not going to give up even though his assistant was not as optimistic as he was. One fine day he (his assistant) asked Edison with total loss of hope what on earth he was trying to do and how he does intend to find the right substance in this way. Edison replied “By checking these hundreds of compounds, I have eliminated the substances that does not glow. So I would soon be able to find the right substance in this way”. Of course, he does not mean what he literally said but I bet you this is an optimistic way of looking at things. Optimism is the only way of converting failure to success. It is very essential to achievement. It is a solid foundation of courage and true progress. Viewing the glass as half-full rather than half-empty definitely does more than increase happiness. Believe me, Optimists have better mental and physical health – and brighter future than the pessimists.
Too many people spend too much time every day thinking of past hurts. Always thinking about past negative events, disappointments, failures etc. There is need for us to learn how to use our minds to create scenes of positive and pleasing emotions. I agree we are not responsible for what happens out there or what others do or think but we are surely responsible for how we choose to respond. We must resist the temptation to join the naysayers. That should be our attitude. The responsibility is ours to understand that the past does not equal the future. Just because you have experienced pain, disappointment or failure in the past does not guarantee a repeat of such. Remember, not all that starts badly will end badly. Do not make a bad start turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy for a bad ending. Let go of the assumption that the world is against you or that you were born with a gray cloud over your head. It is an assumption that has no basis in reasoning nor science. While being skeptical can be a healthy way to avoid getting taken advantage of, being pessimistic – that is, always assuming the worst- can have major negative consequences on your life. Unlike the pessimists, optimists always look out for the light at the end of the Tunnel. Seeing only the negative aspects of a situation can cause you to miss opportunities, neglect problems that need to be solved, and fail to take action that would otherwise have improved your relationships or quality of life. Research have also shown that pessimists are more likely to develop chronic illnesses later on in life than optimists.
Sometimes, unconsciously, we pick up a flair for pessimism from a parent who made negative assumptions about the world and virtually about everything. Either way, the sooner you begin to attribute your pessimism to a unique set of circumstances rather than the state of the world itself, the easier it will be to change your perspective. It is clearly a wrong perspective that this part of the world must strongly resist. See yourself as a cause rather than an effect. You don't have to be a product or a victim of your circumstances. Stop thinking about what is happening to you and start thinking about what you can make happen. If you are not happy with the way your life is now, make up your mind to change it and be disciplined enough to follow through. Set goals for yourself and move on. Use your past negative experiences to build character and make better decisions. Life involves taking many risks every day and all of them may not end positively. That is what defines risk. But the flip side is that some actions will lead to good results and surely it is better to have a mixed bag than to have nothing at all! Ideally, the good stuff will outweigh the bad but you will never reach that point unless you put yourself out there and hope for the best. Remember that life is short and every minute counts. Pessimism breeds indecision which often results to a waste of time and time is a limited resource.
Finally, be a balanced optimist. Nobody is suggesting that you become unrealistic, pretending that nothing bad can or will ever happen. Doing so can lead to poor decisions and invite people to take advantage of you. Instead, be a rational optimist who takes the good with the bad, in hopes of the good ultimately outweighing the bad and with the understanding that being pessimistic about everything accomplishes nothing.
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Nice piece
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