Optimism

This month's Ode Magazine has an article on how to stay positive during negative times, something I have recently been thinking about. The author, Jurriaan Kamp, says that optimism is a choice, that it can be learned, and that it needs to be practiced and cultivated.

"You learn to become optimistic by concentrating on things that give you a sense of satisfaction, and you remain optimistic by feeding those things to make them grow. Intelligent optimists also know that for every problem there is (at least the beginning of) a solution and that the search for that solution can be inspirational in itself. They are also not afraid of negative thoughts, which they realize offer some protection and help them stay realistic."

Read the whole article -- it's really interesting. I highly recommend Ode. The magazine is published monthly in the Netherlands, and you can read it online or subscribe and receive it in the mail.