Description
Modem research affirms the power of thinking optimistically Optimism can improve health, relationships, job performance. produce higher scores on achievement tests, and possibly increase longevity. Pessimism, on the other hand, has been linked to crippling shyness, depression, and diminished ca pacity to battle illness.
Where does optimism come from? McGinnis found that an optimistic attitude is acquired, not inherited. Optimists are not necessarily those who have been bom with cheerful disposi tions or who have led charmed lives. Rather they are people who take specific steps to stave off discouragement and keep their enthusiasm high.
Profiling the life experiences of real optimists from opera star Beverly Sills and comedian Bill Cosby to Oscar-winning screenwriter Robert Towne and Olympian Bruce Jenner- McGinnis has discovered a cluster of common characteristics which he has distilled to twelve basic traits
OPTIMISTS:
โข are never surprised by trouble
โข value partial solutions
โข believe they have control over the future
โข plan for regular renewal
โข have heightened powers of admiration
โข interrupt their negative trains of thought
โข are cheerful even when they can't be happy
โข have an almost unlimited capacity for stretching
โข share good news
โข build plenty of love into their lives
โข use their imaginations to rehearse success
โข accept what cannot be changed ISBN:9780060653620
