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(I wrote this article in 2007. A friend of mine remembered it and requested that I republish it, both for her and for those of you who have not yet read it. Although, the story shared here is one that someone else told me, and is not my own creative work; sharing it evidentally had a wonderful affect on many of my readers. I hope you all enjoy it just as much now).

We all come into this world fully equipped with the tools we need to be successful.  All we need to do is learn how to use them effectively.

Optimism is one of the most powerful tools available.  Everything that we do, see, hear, or experience in this world is filtered through our own interpretations.

Our interpretation of an event defines its meaning.  What I mean by this is two people can experience the same events in life, and see them in totally different ways.

My favorite and probably the most famous example of this is the story of two brothers.  One always had an optimistic outlook.  The other always saw things pessimistically.

The father of these two boys hired a man to fill both the boys rooms with horse manure.  Later when the father went into the pessimistic boys room he found him crying on top of the manure.  When asked why he was crying the boy said “This is just my luck. I come home and my rooms filled with manure.” and continued to cry.

So, the father went into the optimistic boys room and found him laughing and playing.  He was so excited.  When the father asked him why he was so happy the boy exclaimed “With all this manure in he there has got to be a pony somewhere!!!”

An optimist knows that bad times are only temporary.  That the tide will always change in a positive direction, if we just keep working toward our dreams. 

They know that failure is a step toward success, and everybody experiences them.  Failure gives you experience and makes you stronger. 

Optimists know that misfortune is part of life and a result of circumstances that are out of their control.  Therefore, the Optimist lives proactively.  He looks for solutions rather than dwelling on the problem.     

When you look at life through an optimistic “filter” life is great.