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Is a mind such a terrible thing to change?

Keeping tough days in perspective

The face of optimism

Everyone has met one of those people who always seems to be smiling. No matter what is going wrong around them, they find some positive spin to put on it. If it's dark and cloudy out, they're thinking about the flowers to come. If you're down in the dumps, they're the ones who want to help you overcome your doldrums through sheer will.
How annoying!

The Ustinov quote above rings true about the apparent foolishness of optimism. We get teased and sometimes mocked for being overtly positive, especially when confronted with a situation that turns most people sour. After all, why do your deserve to be so happy if I'm not?

There's a technical term in the field of psychology called cognitive dissonance. Basically, this is a fancy term for the power of your actions to guide your emotional well-being. It's been clinically proven that by smiling more, you actually feel happier, regardless of circumstances. On the other hand, those who wear a permanently dour expression have a one-way ticket to downer-town.

Now, there can be a point of overkill with optimism when happiness just doesn't fit, no matter what, kind of like a party hat at a funeral. While none of us is perpetually happy, all of us can make a little bit more of an effort to wear the appearance of happiness, especially as the promise of a more positive state of mind is sure to follow.