High on Waves

Swami Sivananda

Optimism is the view that everything in Nature and in the history of mankind is ordained for the best, that the order of things in the universe has been adapted to produce the highest good. It is a sunny temperament as opposed to a pessimistic one. Pessimism is the opposite of optimism.

An optimist sees opportunities in all difficulties; a pessimist sees difficulties in all opportunities. An optimist gets the best out of life. He hopes for the best and makes the best of circumstances and people. He thinks the best of people.

Optimism is hope. It is a happy life. It saves people. It makes them happy and cheerful. There is a bright side to every situation. Adopt a hopeful, confident state of mind. Then the trouble is already half overcome. The accident is not a terrible as you had feared. The hill is not as steep as you had thought. The difficulty is not as great as you had expected. Things came out better than you had hoped.