A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

One of the privileges of being a reporter is that it is your job to always look for new stories and thus you always meet new people.

Through all these meetings over many years I have learned that a lot of people choose vocations that they themselves can learn the most from.

Many psychotherapists have a great need to heal their own psyches.

Mediators tend to create conflicts in their personal lives.

High-energy motivational speakers who talk about the power of positive thinking appear to ignore the negative in their own lives.

Business gurus who teach that egos are so often roadblocks in business have big egos themselves.

People who teach meditation and mindfulness tend to need to quiet their own minds.

It is like healing your own wounds becomes the most important and inspiring contribution you can make to the world around you.

Then there are also the people who are natural teachers. They don’t need to write books or tell their stories to big audiences. They just are. And through their beings they teach and inspire. Talking or writing about something is different from being that same thing. From being flows natural inspiration. No need for books or talks.

So where does that leave me as the maker of a magazine and a book on optimism?

Am I a pessimist who himself needs more optimism?

Someone once asked me, “How could you construct doors without locks and windows without shades if you don’t know the power of the negative?”

So, yes, I was born an optimist—like you, for that matter. But—probably like you too—I have encountered disappointments early in life that weakened my natural ability to remain optimistic. At some point I made it my mission to overcome my disappointments and the pessimism that came from it.

Many people never need to read a book on optimism because they already are optimists. That is to say their optimism is stronger than their pessimism. It is important to recognize that in our dualistic world all of us are both optimists and pessimists. The fact is that our lives are more fulfilling as optimists than as pessimists. Science is very clear about that, as you will read in this book.

I know from my own experience that pessimists can become optimists, and that the journey from pessimism to optimism is a very rewarding one. At the same time many optimists can strengthen their optimism. Perhaps, because I do know the pessimistic parts in me as well as the optimistic parts I can be a good guide for you on the road to more optimism.

I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned with you, as well as many stories that have inspired me. I wrote this book to motivate and energize you and to inspire you to live your life to the fullest.

That’s optimism. And this is your guide.