Opting for Optimism

A Balanced Approach to Staying Positive in a Negative World

Gary D. Moyer

• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781638601586
• eBook ISBN: 9781638601593
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Mental Health & Wellbeing

"Simply Captivating" - Tom Ziglar, CEO of Zig Ziglar

Let's face it: we live in a predominantly negative world, and it seems to be getting worse. You see it in the economy, our politics, and our relationships. It's evident in the social unrest and the social media. And it's easy to get caught in the current of negativity and swept away in pessimism. When that happens it can make our lives and those around us less than joyful - even downright miserable. Been there?

What's worse - if you happen to be a Bible believer who struggles with negativity you can feel ashamed - especially if you've been told that people of faith should be happy all the time. Maybe some of the "optimists" you've met have been so extreme in their positivity they're scary. Or, perhaps you're just simply not a natural optimist and want to learn how to have a happier, more fulfilling life.

If any of this sounds familiar - get ready for some good news. There is hope! There are things you can do to become more optimistic. You can actually choose optimism! Gary D. Moyer is living proof. Gary grew up with a negative mindset -a natural talent for finding the downside to life. Today he is known as an optimist and encourager, sharing with people everywhere how to embrace a more positive life.

This book is not just a compilation of some nice ideas about optimism, but is results-oriented, giving practical steps you can take right away to begin a new, optimistic, more fulfilling life - including the "missing link" other self-help books miss, to help convert your learning into action.

Part 1

Considering Optimism?

Chapter 1

Defining Optimism

Vocabulary.com includes an insightful, perhaps satirical, twist in their definition of an optimist—an optimist is someone who always sees the bright side of any situation, a trait that can be either encouraging or annoying, depending on your frame of mind.1 You know what they’re referring to, right? This is the positive thinker who is too positive to be real. Or perhaps they are real…real irritating! Sometimes, folks are not in the frame of mind for unrealistic, over-the-top optimism, which can do more harm than good. Let me give you an example.

Let’s say you are noticeably depressed and explaining to a friend at church that you were just in an accident and your treasured automobile got demolished—total loss. Enter the optimism evangelist. Overhearing you sharing your sorrow with a friend, he hurries over with an astonished look as he exuberantly rebukes and exhorts you at the same time, “No, don’t say that! Rejoice! Don’t you see? This was God’s plan for you to get a new car!” Oh, please. “Where’s your faith?” he asks, standing uncomfortably close to you, face-to-face, smiling expectantly, wide-eyed, big smile, teeth showing, breath smelling. He reminds you of Johnny Depp playing the eccentric, perhaps neurotic Willy Wonka—annoying, maybe even scary, definitely unbalanced, definitely not helpful.

Okay, so maybe you’ve never met anyone quite that outrageous. I admit that was a somewhat exaggerated example I had fun creating. But you know the type—too upbeat and “faith-filled” to acknowledge reality. Now don’t for a moment think I’m not a strong believer in the power of faith and scripture—I am big on that, as you will see—but optimism is not synonymous with denial. Denying the seriousness of problems is not positive. It’s negative because those problems will not go away by ignoring them. In fact, they may very well get worse. Denial sees a problem then covers its eyes and says, “I don’t see anything. La, la, la! Everything’s great!” That’s unbalanced, unbiblical, and potentially dangerous. True optimism, on the other hand, acknowledges and addresses problems with hope. Optimism sees a problem, takes it as a challenge, and says, “I’m going to fix this!” This is true, balanced optimism. Balanced optimism is one of the things this book will help you achieve.

Hopefully, you now recognize that this book is not authored by one of those hyperenergetic, always smiling, superstar motivational speakers who initially get us pumped up at some event, only to leave us feeling deflated when we get home and the excitement dissipates. We look in the mirror the next morning and see a regular person, and we begin to doubt whether we could ever be like that powerhouse of positive perfection. We may even begin to have a sneaking suspicion that some of that superstar’s shine may be due to his or her genetics, cosmetics, or even something else synthetic. Maybe you never will achieve that level of outrageous optimism. That’s okay—probably even ideal. In this book, we’re going to focus on being the best we can be.

So before we go further, let me clarify that if you’re a natural-born pessimist or negativism is your natural default, it’s possible you may never become a natural optimist. “Wait!” you’re saying, “Did I buy the wrong book?” Fear not, you bought the right book. Your DNA, personality style, or upbringing may cause you to naturally gravitate toward pessimism, but the daily decisions and practices I’m going to share with you can help you be much more positive. Will it take a little work? Yep! For those of us who didn’t come out of the womb high-fiving the doctor, optimism is daily work. But by applying what I’ll be sharing in this book, you can become an intentional optimist. Let me repeat in case you missed it, you can do this! And not only will I help you experience balanced positivity in your life but also intentional positivity. And you are going to love being a balanced, intentional optimist. Your family and friends will appreciate it too!

By the way, balanced, intentional optimism forms an acronym—BIO. Bio is short for biography, which is a life story. The ultimate goal for this book is to help you experience the benefits of balanced, intentional optimism—a new BIO, a new life story, a new trajectory to a more fulfilling, happier, hope-filled, productive way of living that better navigates challenges and crises.

Just before we jump into the practical, powerful steps you can take to embrace your new BIO, let’s look a closer look at some of the benefits you can expect as you rise above negativity and begin opting for optimism.

Things to remember:

• Optimism is not synonymous with denial.
• True optimism acknowledges and addresses problems with hope.
• Although you may not be a natural optimist, you can achieve balanced, intentional optimism—a new BIO.

Things to do:

• Take a few quiet moments ...

Table of contents

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Part 1
• Considering Optimism?
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Part 2
• How to Build a Better BIO
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Part 3
• Making It All Work
• Chapter 10
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12
• Conclusion
• About the Author