It’s no surprise that optimism breeds success. Optimism is also known as a “glass half full” mentality. This mentality is understood best through the story of identical twin boys. One was always happy and upbeat. The other was constantly negative and complaining. The contrast between the boys was so pronounced that the parents decided to seek help from a psychologist to see how to best deal with this imbalance between them.
The counselor learned that they had a birthday in just a few weeks and suggested that the parents buy gifts that would counteract the tendencies in their personalities. So for the pessimist, the parents were instructed to purchase top-quality expensive gifts that most children only dream of getting. And to the optimist, the counselor suggested they buy him a huge pile of horse manure.
The parents thought this was an intriguing idea and certainly worth a try. When the boys’ birthday finally came, the twins were separated and given their special gifts in rooms across the hall from each other.
In the first room, the negative boy right on cue began to complain. As he opened up his new laptop, he moaned: “I wonder how long it will be before this thing crashes.” And when he opened up his new iPod, and whined: "I don't like this color.” And of his remote control monster truck: “My friend Stevie got a bigger car than this.”
Disappointed, but not surprised, the parents turned their attention to their happy little twin. Surely he must be raising a stink about his filthy heap of dung disguised as a birthday gift.
Tiptoeing across the hall the parents peeked in and saw their little optimist gleefully throwing the manure up in the air. They were amazed to find that he was smiling and laughing, almost singing: "You can't fool me! With this much manure, there's gotta be a pony under here!"
Although some people seem to be genetically predisposed to certain attitudes, the point is, life’s circumstances can always be twisted one way or the other. You can choose to look at life as empty of enjoyment or full of fun. Your attitude is ultimately a choice that you make. And which person (the optimist or pessimist) will be more likely to succeed? The answer is crystal clear. When life becomes difficult, the pessimist grumbles and gives up, while the optimist presses on and prevails!
J.T. Bean
J.T. Bean
Email: jamestbean@gmail.com
Twitter: @58beans
YouTube Channel: JTBeanScenes
No comments:
Post a Comment