Are You An Optimist?

Essentially an optimist, as defined by the dictionary,  is one who demonstrates a disposition or tendency to look at the more favorable side of any situation and expect the most favorite outcome. They typically believe that good ultimately wins over evil and they actively look for the goodness that pervades our lives.

But it can be hard to remain optimistic in the face of difficulty, pain, and strife. We can find ourselves caught up in the negativity of pessimism and cynicism very quickly when faced with challenges that seem too difficult to bear, or we hear about horrible things in the world.

It can be a hard path back to hope, if we internalize this thinking. Especially if the story we start to tell ourselves is that pessimism and cynicism are signs that we’re being ‘realists’; that the horrible things in the world are the reality that we must accept and are powerless to fight.

I wanted to share this bit of prose with you today. The author, Christian D. Larson (1874 – 1954) was an American New Thought leader and teacher, as well as a prolific author of metaphysical and New Thought books. In 1912 he developed the Optimist Creed, the roots of which can be seen in this earlier writing, which was later adopted as the basis of Optimist International, better known as the Optimist Clubs.

He offers some profound advice on how to keep the faith, in the world and yourself, when faced with darkness that seems to want to overcome the light.

“Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.”

—Christian D. Larson  From ‘Your Forces and How to Use Them’