In the beginning...

op·ti·mism

noun \ˈäp-tə-ˌmi-zəm\

Definition of OPTIMISM

1: a doctrine that this world is the best possible world

2: an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome

 

Given these definitions from Merriam-Webster, then I, as an optimist, am someone who practices "a doctrine that this world is the best possible world" or one who has "an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome."

 

I have read hundreds of personal development books over the last few years. I've studied the most successful and influential men and women in history. I am convinced that to truly be successful AND enjoy that success, you must practice optimism. Attitude is the key and a lot has been made of choosing a "positive mental attitude" but I believe it goes deeper than that. Our attitude, which can be and usually is affected by so many outside factors, first and foremost is affected by the doctrines and inclinations with which we approach the world. That is why I am an optimist.

 

Sometimes, quite often, in fact, I have been accused of being an "eternal optimist." As far as I'm concerned, that is the only type of optimist you can be. If not "eternal" then you are only "temporary." What a sad existence if you can't consistently, repeatedly approach the world in an optimistic way.

 

It is with this approach that I'll be posting to this blog. Recording things I hear, read, and real-life encounters I experience and what my obersavations of these are. I study people like personal development experts Napolean Hill, Earl Nightingale, Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, John C. Maxwell, and Darren Hardy. I listen to and read from my favorite pastors like Norman Vincent Peale, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Mac Hammond, Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Joseph Prince, and Joyce Meyer. The Bible is the foundation from which I consider all things.

 

I'm really looking forward to this exercise and hope to post every few days. I promise the posts won't be lengthy but will include items maybe you've never heard before or, worst-case, you've heard a long time ago but hearing again awakens something anew within you.

 

Thanks for reading my "Observations of an Optimist" and I look forward to our interactions!