Download or read book The Optimist s Pessimist s Handbook written by Niall Edworthy and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2009-11-10 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mere sense of living is joy enough. Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886, American poet Humanity's story is one long testimony to the truth that life is as rewarding and beautiful as you make it. As pioneers, inventors, and dreamers have always known, you can do anything if only you persevere. Ever since we hauled ourselves out of the swamp, our history has been one of extraordinary cultural and technological progress, of mind-boggling discoveries and remarkable achievements, often against the odds. It's no coincidence that you see no statues of pessimists in city squares. Still, cynical and doubting voices are heard all too loudly and frequently in public discourse. A potent antidote to their gloom and doom, The Optimist's Handbook is a joyful explosion of wit and wisdom from our past and present that celebrates the art of greeting life with the excitement it deserves. This handbook will inspire, enchant, and entertain you as you go forward into all your wonderful tomorrows. Even if, after reading it, you are not moved to feats of glory for the greater good, the fact is that optimists are healthier, happier, and richer than their gloomy counterparts. Hear that, killjoys? The world is a grindstone and life is your nose. Fred Allen, 1894-1956, American humorist Why beat around the bush? The truth is that life is a never-ending cycle of toil and pain with nothing but death to reward all our suffering. Furthermore, what solace is there in blind optimism or fanciful daydreaming when it is perfectly clear that the world is heading toward a complete meltdown whether we live in it or not? Resigning yourself to life's grim treadmill, and thereby avoiding more disappointments, is the best way to trudge forward. The Pessimist's Handbook is an indispensable companion on your journey through this vale of tears. A clear-sighted, realistic look at life's obstacles, this guidebook is stocked with the pearls of wisdom you need to counter the irritating voices of those who trumpet futile positivity and inane confidence in a brighter future. Feel reassured that scores of people share your sense of impending doom...and have done so for centuries. After all, misery loves company, but not when it's a horde of perky utopians.
Download or read book Optimism Pessimism written by Edward Chin-Ho Chang and published by Amer Psychological Assn. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the examination of cultural, biological and psychological factors, this volume illustrates a dynamic interplay between optimism and pessimism and enables readers to recognize the importance of balance in understanding their relative powers.
Download or read book Good News Bad News written by Jeff Mack and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2012-06-22 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Good news, Rabbit and Mouse are going on a picnic. Bad news, it is starting to rain. Good news, Rabbit has an umbrella. Bad news, the stormy winds blow the umbrella (and Mouse!) into a tree. So begins this clever story about two friends with very different dispositions. Using just four words, Jeff Mack has created a text with remarkable flair that is both funny and touching, and pairs perfectly with his energetic, and hilarious, illustrations. Good news, this is a book kids will clamor to read again and again!
Download or read book Learned Optimism written by Martin E.P. Seligman and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-08-10 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National Bestseller The father of the new science of positive psychology and author of Authentic Happiness draws on more than twenty years of clinical research to demonstrate how optimism enchances the quality of life, and how anyone can learn to practice it. Offering many simple techniques, Dr. Seligman explains how to break an “I—give-up” habit, develop a more constructive explanatory style for interpreting your behavior, and experience the benefits of a more positive interior dialogue. These skills can help break up depression, boost your immune system, better develop your potential, and make you happier.. With generous additional advice on how to encourage optimistic behavior at school, at work and in children, Learned Optimism is both profound and practical–and valuable for every phase of life. "Vaulted me out of my funk.... So, fellow moderate pessimists, go buy this book." —Marian Sandmaier, The New York Times Book Review
Download or read book The Optimist s Handbook written by and published by Random House. This book was released on 2008 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a rich anthology of evidence from both sides of any argument. Covering everything from Africa to beauty, happiness to patriotism to walking, it is the perfect tool for squabbling families, a counterbalance for arguing couples and a mine of detail for the quarrelsome.
Download or read book Believing Cassandra written by Alan AtKisson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-07-26 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bestseller on Amazon.com within months of its first release, Alan AtKisson's debut book quickly became a modern classic of sustainability literature. Global companies, grassroots groups, university courses, government agencies, and even the US Army ordered it by the box. Now fully revised and updated, Believing Cassandra: How to be an Optimist in a Pessimist's World is even more relevant, fresh, and motivating than when it first appeared in 1999. In a style that's refreshingly candid and vivid, with unforgettable personal anecdotes, AtKisson provides us with a bridge over the sea of despair, and shows us how to catch the wave to an enticing, sustainable future. He empowers the reader to join the pioneers who created the ideas, techniques and practices of sustainable living - the people who prove Cassandra's warnings wrong, by believing in them, and taking strategic action.
Download or read book I Hate This Place written by Jimmy Fallon and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2008-12-14 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Grammy-nominated star of Saturday Night Live and his equally talented sister comes a delightfully cynical look at life through a half-full glass. I HATE THIS PLACE is the book for anyone who’s ever tired of crossing to the sunny side of the street, looking for that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or reading self-help books that are meant to bring peace and prosperity. Guaranteed to shatter illusions, extinguish all hope, and keep the jaded and the disgruntled laughing all the way, it is filled with such daily “affirmations” as “If you don’t have anything nice to say, welcome to the club,” and advice like “Knock, and the door shall be slammed in your face.” Rife with the wit and wisdom of Jimmy Fallon and his sister Gloria, this book promises to tickle the funny bone of the pessimist in everyone.
Download or read book Handbook of Positive Psychology written by C. R. Snyder and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2001-12-20 with total page 849 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Psychology has long been enamored of the dark side of human existence, rarely exploring a more positive view of the mind. What has psychology contributed, for example, to our understanding of the various human virtues? Regrettably, not much. The last decade, however, has witnessed a growing movement to abandon the exclusive focus on the negative. Psychologists from several subdisciplines are now asking an intriguing question: "What strengths does a person employ to deal effectively with life?" The Handbook of Positive Psychology provides a forum for a more positive view of the human condition. In its pages, readers are treated to an analysis of what the foremost experts believe to be the fundamental strengths of humankind. Both seasoned professionals and students just entering the field are eager to grasp the power and vitality of the human spirit as it faces a multitude of life challenges. The Handbook is the first systematic attempt to bring together leading scholars to give voice to the emerging field of positive psychology.
Download or read book Rainy Brain Sunny Brain written by Elaine Fox and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2012-06-05 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Glass half-full or half-empty? Do you look on the bright side or turn towards the dark? These are easy questions for most of us to answer, because our personality types are hard-wired into our brains. As pioneering psychologist and neuroscientist Elaine Fox has discovered, our outlook on life reflects our primal inclination to seek pleasure or avoid danger -- inclinations that, in many people, are healthily balanced. But when our "fear brain" or "pleasure brain" is too strong, the results can be disastrous, as those of us suffering from debilitating shyness, addiction, depression, or anxiety know all too well. Luckily, anyone suffering from these afflictions has reason to hope. Stunning breakthroughs in neuroscience show that our brains are more malleable than we ever imagined. In Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain, Fox describes a range of techniques -- from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy to innovative cognitive-retraining exercises -- that can actually alter our brains' circuitry, strengthening specific thought processes by exercising the neural systems that control them. The implications are enormous: lifelong pessimists can train themselves to think positively and find happiness, while pleasure-seekers inclined toward risky or destructive behavior can take control of their lives. Drawing on her own cutting-edge research, Fox shows how we can retrain our brains to brighten our lives and learn to flourish. With keen insights into how genes, life experiences and cognitive processes interleave together to make us who we are, Rainy Brain, SunnyBrain revolutionizes our basic concept of individuality. We learn that we can influence our own personalities, and that our lives are only as "sunny" or as "rainy" as we allow them to be.
Download or read book The Psychology of Pessimism written by Daniel X. Choi and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Optimism and pessimism are complementary, but opposing, dispositions. In general, optimists consistently expect good outcomes and pessimists consistently expect bad outcomes. These variations in human behaviour have profound mental and physical implications. The aim of the present work is to provide an overview of the psychology of pessimism. It is composed of four sections - I: How are optimism and pessimism measured?, II: What is the relationship between optimism and pessimism?, III: What is the relationship between optimism-pessimism and health?, and IV: What are the biology and chemistry of optimism-pessimism? For various reasons, rigorous analysis of pessimism has been difficult. Nonetheless, recent advances, including the development of numerous psychological batteries, have allowed for structured, scientific investigation. Indeed, several studies have examined the medical implications and biological and chemical bases of pessimism. Nonetheless, the psychology of pessimism is imperfect and further study is needed.
Download or read book The Pessimist s Handbook written by Arthur Schopenhauer and published by Lincoln, University of Nebreaska Press. This book was released on 1964 with total page 856 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Optimists Always Win written by Kimberly S. Reed and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-01-12 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Difficulties and struggles are unavoidable in life, but a person has complete control over one’s personal response to the situation. This book offers readers a plan for responding with optimism for both the challenges and blessings that come their way. Our brain’s default setting is negativity. Ask anyone who has ever tried to lose weight, achieve a new skill, or incorporate a new habit and they can tell you that our natural tendency is to levitate toward mediocrity. However, optimism overpowers that negativity or tendency to be mediocre. International speaker and diversity/inclusion strategist Kimberly Reed’s book Optimists Always Win!: Unlocking the Power to Reach Life’s C-Suite isn’t merely motivational mumbo jumbo. It is designed to help readers develop a process to stay optimistic all the time. Reaching life’s C-Suite means obtaining a level of happiness, peace, wisdom and growth in all areas of our lives. It’s choosing optimism instead of anger, bitterness, or revenge. The life events that unfold for Reed in Optimists Always Win! will do just that—challenge anyone facing what seems to be an impossible situation and show that victory is absolutely possible. Her heroic battle with her mother’s terminal illness and sudden loss as well as her subsequent battle with cancer will encourage others that one doesn’t have to face adversity with pessimism or hopelessness. Relying heavily on her faith in God and the optimism that she learned to cultivate, Kimberly Reed teaches her readers the ten discouragement eliminators she used, which helped her succeed not just in her fight against cancer but as she lives each day as her best self. The message of this book is simple: difficulties and struggles are unavoidable in life, but a person has complete control over one’s personal response to the situation. Readers of this book will discover the following ten tools to eliminate discouragement, grow their faith, and engage an optimistic attitude for their own battles with the wisdom Kimberly was taught and subsequently put into practice during her own diagnosis and ultimate victory. They include: · Discouragement Eliminator #1: Staying Away from Kryptonite · Discouragement Eliminator #2: Defining Your Life’s C-Suite · Discouragement Eliminator #3: Quieting the Soul · Discouragement Eliminator #4: Gratitude · Discouragement Eliminator #5: Faith at the Speed of Light · Discouragement Eliminator #6: Unlocking Your Y.E.S. (You Empower Self) Factor. · Discouragement Eliminator #7: Be Willing to Give What You Require · Discouragement Eliminator #8: The Art of Becoming a Chameleon · Discouragement Eliminator #9: The Power of Your Rearview Mirror · Discouragement Eliminator #10: Taking the Elevator to Life’s C-Suite These tools will help develop the fortitude to face every area of life with faith and optimism. All Book Royalties Are Being Donated to a Premier Academic Research Institution for Integrated Breast Cancer Fund and Patient Care, and American Cancer Society AstraZeneca Hope Lodge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Download or read book Rock Bone and Ruin written by Adrian Currie and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2024-05-21 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An argument that we should be optimistic about the capacity of “methodologically omnivorous” geologists, paleontologists, and archaeologists to uncover truths about the deep past. The “historical sciences”—geology, paleontology, and archaeology—have made extraordinary progress in advancing our understanding of the deep past. How has this been possible, given that the evidence they have to work with offers mere traces of the past? In Rock, Bone, and Ruin, Adrian Currie explains that these scientists are “methodological omnivores,” with a variety of strategies and techniques at their disposal, and that this gives us every reason to be optimistic about their capacity to uncover truths about prehistory. Creative and opportunistic paleontologists, for example, discovered and described a new species of prehistoric duck-billed platypus from a single fossilized tooth. Examining the complex reasoning processes of historical science, Currie also considers philosophical and scientific reflection on the relationship between past and present, the nature of evidence, contingency, and scientific progress. Currie draws on varied examples from across the historical sciences, from Mayan ritual sacrifice to giant Mesozoic fleas to Mars's mysterious watery past, to develop an account of the nature of, and resources available to, historical science. He presents two major case studies: the emerging explanation of sauropod size, and the “snowball earth” hypothesis that accounts for signs of glaciation in Neoproterozoic tropics. He develops the Ripple Model of Evidence to analyze “unlucky circumstances” in scientific investigation; examines and refutes arguments for pessimism about the capacity of the historical sciences, defending the role of analogy and arguing that simulations have an experiment-like function. Currie argues for a creative, open-ended approach, “empirically grounded” speculation.
Download or read book The Intelligent Optimist s Guide to Life written by Jurriaan Kamp and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2014-10-13 with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world isn’t coming to an end, contrary to what you may have heard. But the media’s near-exclusive focus on conflict and disaster means that the progress and everyday acts of brilliance taking place across the globe go unnoticed. Jurriaan Kamp shows that optimism—intelligent optimism, not a rose-colored-glasses brand of wishful thinking—is good for not only your mind but your body too. He details a whole host of health problems that can actually be linked to pessimism. Moreover, there is good reason for optimism: Kamp proves that on the whole we’re living longer, becoming smarter, working less, and growing richer. Not only that, democracy is on the rise, and violence is declining. This book will help you tune out the media’s focus on sensationalism and negativity and turn on your natural optimism so you’ll drop into a “real world” that’s richer than you ever imagined.
Download or read book The Optimist s Guide to History written by Doris Flexner and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic look at the past with a very jaundiced eye -- now with even more disheartening facts! The original "irreverent jaunt through the catastrophes, cataclysms and outrages that shaped our world" has sold more than 73,000 copies. This updated edition takes us from the Big Bang (it was an explosion, after all) to the turn of the millennium, with more than 10,000 new words and 100 new entries that chronicle the disasters, bad decisions, and downright evil events that have taken place since September 1991 (the last entry in the first book). With a light but informative tone and a handy timeline of events, this is addictively friendly fare for those who want a different -- some might argue more intriguing -- view of history.
Download or read book The Case for Rational Optimism written by Frank S. Robinson and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on 2011-12-31 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Case for Rational Optimism tackles a host of challenging subjects in an engaging, accessible, down-to-earth style. It is intellectually serious, ceaselessly intriguing, and devoid of banalities. While other books in this genre tend to be oriented toward self-help, this volume brings evolutionary biology, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, economics, and a keen sense of history to the topic. Robinson begins with three goals: making the case for feeling good about oneself, about humanity in general, and about the global situation. He addresses such seemingly disparate subjects as selfi shness versus altruism, mind and free will, human nature, and issues relating to economics, technology, the environment, and more. Unifying these ideas into a coherent philosophical whole are central concepts: evolution has endowed our species with more good qualities than bad, and why; those qualities, and our use of reason, are the foundations of civilization, and how; and, consistent with our nature, we make a better world by valuing human life therefore enabling others to fl ourish in ways they freely choose. The Case for Rational Optimism argues that the highly challenging conditions confronting early man created a Darwinian selective pressure for cooperation, even altruism, among members of a tribe. Th e author fi nds evidence for this in the way our brains work, and in observable human behavior. He argues against existential despair over the human condition. Even though there probably is no grand celestial design investing life with meaning, he considers this liberating, giving every person the freedom to craft their own meaning. To Robinson, whether sentient beings experience suff ering or joy is the only thing that matters; without emotive highs and lows, the Universe would hardly matter.
Download or read book The 30 Day Optimism Solution written by John Clark, 3rd and published by . This book was released on 2015-04-08 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Pessimist to Optimist in 30 Days or Less How often do you think, "Today's going to be a great day" or "I'm so lucky to be alive"? Would you like to think these things more often? What sets us apart from all other living creatures is the ability to think and use thought to form decisions, ideas, strategies, and actions. However, this same "power" can also work against us in the form of small thinking, negativity, depression, or distress. What we see is what we get. How we think is what determines our reality. Some of the Best Days of Your Life Haven't Happened Yet Do you want to enjoy your life more? You have to learn a new way of thinking before you can master a new way of being. A negative mind will never give you a positive life. But how can you become more positive when you've been trapped in negative thinking for years, decades, or maybe even your whole life? How to Be Happy, No Matter What John Clark delves into the topic of happiness and positivity in his latest book, "The 30-Day Optimism Solution." A self-described chronic pessimist, Clark embarks on a 30-day journey to turn his mindset around. Discover the ten second process that can instantly transform your thinking, setting the tone for the rest of the day (and, ultimately, your life). The greatest weapon against unhappiness is our ability to choose one thought over another. Learn how to choose these positive thoughts with: Two full pages of affirmations 7 ways to energize your life 10 ways to reduce stress A guide to creating your own gratitude list No matter how long you have traveled on the wrong road, you can always turn around. The 30-Day Optimism Solution is proof of that."
