Chapter 8. Optimists Dispute Catastrophic Thoughts

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them."

George Bernard Shaw

Okay, so you can shape your own circumstance and make your own luck up to a point, but there's no denying that bad luck does exist. We've all had our share of unpleasant days; we've all suffered and experienced major disappointments. We've had to deal with the pain of loss as well as the random misery that nature can unleash.

Good employees sometimes lose their jobs through no fault of their own, and even the best sales professionals lose their share of sales from time to time. Hurricanes level some homes while leaving others only feet away completely intact. Illness and accidents can take lives seemingly years too early.

"Life is tough, but I'm tougher."

Andy Rooney

The glass sometimes is more than half empty. In the short run, everything doesn't always happen for the best. Have you had a big enough dose of reality for this chapter? I hope so. Yes, as we discussed in the beginning—life is difficult.

But no matter how bad the hand you're dealt in life, you can still strive to make the best of what happens. Optimists have learned to master the mental and emotional inner dialogue that allows you to do just that. Jeffrey Lawrence Benjamin, author of How to Get What You Want Now ...

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