Why Are We Compelled To Pick Our Scabs?

The other night, as my wife an I discussed some of the deep truths, concepts and philosophies that have been pondered for thousands of years, the topic of scabs came up.  Why are we compelled to pick our scabs?  When someone injures themselves, God, in His intelligent design, developed a process where our open wounds could be cocooned in a burgundy, crustaceous Under Armour(R) while the healing process takes place.  If all works as planned, eventually the scab falls off and there's little-to-no sign of the old wound.  Here are a few thoughts on scabs and scab picking:

1.  You need insulation for proper healing - When wounded, it's best to be insulated, (not isolated).  Having an environment to heal is so important.  However, the tendency could be to isolate the wound and continue to focus on it - eventually the wound takes up our attention and we can help but pick at the wound -- essentially hurting ourselves in the process.

2.  Don't shortcut the healing process - Instead of allowing the process of healing to take place, if we're not careful, our tendency is to continue to the revisit the old wound tearing it open again and again and again - ultimately the wound never heals quit right and there's always a sign of your past wound that's very noticeable - even years later.

3.  Healing can be an ugly process sometimes - but if you allow the healing process to take place you typically find yourself fully restored to your original design.

So, like mom always says - "Don't pick your scab!"

Crews and Competing

People need to belong to a fellowship; people desire a battle.  
The problem is, if you don't figure out what your purpose is, 
you'll invent strange ways to belong to a crew and compete.  
I was walking on lunch the other day and I saw a very strange 
and sad scene: grown men taking their one hour of freedom 
during their work day trotting out to a field of grass behind 
their office building to play...kick ball. Yes, 20 and 40-somthing's
playing kickball - really!!?  


We live in a society that has a bunch of sick men and tired 
women. Men that are sick in their heart, and women that are 
tired of wearing the pants. It's no wonder we create weird things
for us to entertain ourselves with, and perhaps deaden the ache 
of regret. More women are working than ever before to pay for
their "man's" toys. More men are spending their hours being 
"gamers", playing video games, softball, joining church basketball 
leagues or simply watching other people compete on the tube 
instead of getting in a crew that will call them into a battle that 

is the most magnificent competition in which they canindulge in
- a cause that will bring out all that is best; something that removes 
all that is base.  


General George S. Patton once said, "All men are afraid in battle. 
The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty.  
Duty is the essence of manhood." I hope to seek out men of duty, 
connect with them and if I'm fortunate, they will join my crew and 
compete alongside me for the hearts and minds of men.

Things that will determine where you'll be in the future:

1. The people you hang with (your crew)

2. The books you read (your field guides)

3. The stuff you put in your brain through your ear (your attitude)

4. The vehicle you choose to go places (choose wisely)

The Wasabi Way

I have a food fetish for western style sushi.  Any chance to eat the Japanese cuisine, of hand-formed clumps of vinegar rice and assorted fish, I do.  Aside from soy sauce and ginger, my favorite sushi condiment is wasabi, a piquant paste made from the grated root of the wasabi japonica plant.  Wasabi is a neon green, fun, little play-doh-like substance. Wasabi is usually served in the tiniest of dollops.  However, as soon as you inject the neon green play-doh you're in for a shocking surprise!  Wasabi sends a five-alarm signal to your palette, especially you're nostrils!  The tiny green stuff packs a punch more potent than horseradish, and jalapenos combined.

We should be more like wasabi in life.  It's not about being big, bodacious, or loud.  It's about being audacious in substance.  When we enter a room, are added to a group, circumstance, or situation we should add noticeable pop, flavor, surprise and flavor to the mix.  And if we can clear out someones sinuses it's just a bonus.  

Find people that are like wasabi and get around them more.    

Don't put yourself in a choke hold

One of the best escapes from the prison of procrastination is to take even the smallest steps toward your goals. People usually procrastinate because of fear and lack of self-confidence and, ironically, become even more afraid when under the gun. There are many ways to experiment and test new ground without risking the whole ball game on one play. Experience has shown that when people go after one big goal at once, they invariably fail. If you had to swallow a 12-ounce steak all at once, you’d choke. You have to cut the steak into small pieces, eating one bite at a time. So it is with prioritizing. Proactive goal achievement means taking every project and cutting it up into bite-sized pieces. Each small task or requirement on the way to the ultimate goal becomes a mini-goal in itself. Using this method, the goal becomes manageable. When mini-mistakes are made, they are easy to correct. And with the achievement of each mini-goal, you receive reinforcement and motivation in the form of positive feedback. As basic as this sounds, much frustration and failure is caused when people try to “bite off more than they can chew” by taking on assignments with limited resources and impossible timeline expectations. Two major fears that sire procrastination are fear of the unknown and fear of rejection or looking foolish. A third fear—of success—is often overlooked. Many people, even many executives, fear success because it carries added responsibility that can seem too heavy to bear, such as setting an example of excellence that calls for additional effort and willingness to take risks. Success, without adequate self-esteem or the belief that it is deserved, also can create feelings of guilt and the result is only temporary or fleeting high achievement. Playing it safe can seem more tempting than a need to step forward with determination to do it now and do it right.

New Media, New Marketing, New Thinking Creates Mojo

Here's an old video of Seth Godin talking about "new thinking" that most network marketers could learn from - enjoy! What are you doing to keep up with the changes in the marketplace? Keep up, or be left behind.

Ghost Riding

When I was around 8 or so my friends and I used to practice the art of "ghost riding". As young boys, we found lots of strange ways to entertain ourselves and this was just one. We would ride our bikes as fast as we could down a long stretch of the street and then jump off our bikes leaving our bikes to "ride themselves" 10-20 feet, or more. The momentum of the bike kept the bike upright on its two wheels, making it look like a ghost was riding it! It was fun to watch how far the bike could go before coming to an inevitable end. Sometimes our bike would race towards a curb, slamming into it and flipping completely over. A few choice times, we witnessed a bike hit a curb, flip completely over and land back on its tires and roll a foot or two and fall on its side. With no one guiding the bike, it gave the appearance that the bike was fine on its own, moving forward, but ultimately, the bike always came to a crashing end. At one point I was Ghost Riding in life. I've found, that's how many people operate in their lives too. You can find people going along in life, looking good, smelling good and they have the appearance of going in the right direction. But, without a guide, most people are in for a crash in the future. Who's helping you in life? Do you have a guide? Fortunately for me, I have spiritual guidance, and other mentors in my life now to make sure I'm not "ghost riding" through life... CAP

Operation Clean Up - My Detox Journal

So, I started a detox/cleanse on Monday, 8/17 for several reasons: 1. Lately, I’ve felt like I wasn’t living at optimal health – felt lethargic, slow to wake up in the mornings, etc. 2. I heard a testimony from a woman about the benefits of a cleanse at a meeting one time and my wife and I have desired to do one every since 3. The spiritual discipline of fasting has always been one of the best ways to put the flesh in submission to the spirit. There are lots of detox diets, so I won’t get into which one I am doing, but I’ll generally give you a snap shot of the process and diet. I plan to go for 14 days. I discovered Dr. Chet, whom I trust developed a detox recipe that I would have followed if it were just a week earlier! Follow the link below for a summary of Dr. Chet’s three choices to choose from: http://drchet.com/researchupdate.html Detox Journal: Monday, 8/17/09 Day 1: Excited to get started, but not sure if I’ll be able to make it the entire day. I normally can fast until the evening and I give up. Made it all the way! Tuesday, 8/18/09 Day 2: Started out well. Our admin. brought in a huge load of Panera bagels, cookies – stayed away from the goodies, but hit the wall around 11 AM or so, felt very tired, but was able to make it once again. I suppose it helped that I was busy in the evening meeting with a potential franchise owner in Denver metro area. Perhaps, the schedule helped me keep my mind off of food, etc. Wednesday, 8/19/09 Day 3: Woke up very energetic, felt light and ready to go! It seems I had a second wind kick in or something. I had one minor temptation; someone came over to my desk to offer me chocolate (not a big chocolate fan, so didn’t faze me much). Had adrenaline going for the evening meeting I had with my friend Mike and others, so didn’t think much about eating. Thursday, 8/20/09 Day 4: Feeling good, still feeling energetic, had a meeting to discuss internet projects I’m working on during lunch and bought someone Qdoba. Believe it or not, staring at a huge queso & steak burrito didn’t faze me – I was in the zone. Felt kind of tired around six, but fought through it. Friday, 8/21/09 Day 5: Feeling good so far. This is a big day for me! Just the fact that I made it until today is a huge accomplishment! Let's see how the evening goes... CAP Wrap up - Obviously, I'm not a Doc., by here's my wrap up of the detox experience: From what I know at this time, it is one of the best known methods for cleaning out your intestinal and colon walls. Although not intended as a weight-loss diet, it is effective at helping you balance your body and “rebooting” the metabolic process - which often results in weight loss (I lost around 10 lbs on this). A detox helps by: - Total body detoxification of years of built-up waste, which hasn't been properly removed due to todays level of pollution and the bodies inability to detoxify itself properly. - Extreme weight loss - Many have claimed that the fast allowed them to lose 20-40 lbs. in as little as a ten to twenty days, although this is not the main purpose of the diet. - Renewed energy and total body rejuvenation, freeing the individual of common aches and pains due to toxification of the body. - Highly increased immune system and an immense ability to fight of diseases which come from long-term abuse to the body from toxins and other pollutants. - Increased stamina and better sexual functionality and increased vigor. - Highly increased mental clarity and response - Although I didn't fast for spiritual reasons, I did have the benefit of knowing I can control my flesh and strengthening my spirit. I really think food is a stronghold for many people blocking their ability to have optimal health and an abundant life. - I stopped working out after an injury about a year ago and became very undisciplined. Although I'm completely healed, I simply started liking sleeping in a bit too much. This detox has given my a much needed jump-start on working out again. I plan to detox at least a few times per year, I've had a very positive experience. I'm going to workout now - gotta go!

The Road Ahead or the Road Behind

Here is a short poem written by George Moriarty. I watched a talk by John Wooden where he recited the poem from memory - very impressive for a gentleman his age. I loved it so much I found the written text for myself. I figured everyone else would love it too. Please enjoy and share it with others if you find it to be an “Idea Worth Sharing.” The Road Ahead or the Road Behind Sometimes I think the fates must grin as we denounce them and insist, The only reason we can’t win is the fates themselves have missed. Yet, there lives on the ancient claim – we win or lose within ourselves, The shining trophies on our shelves can never win tomorrow’s game. So you and I know deeper down there is a chance to win the crown, But when we fail to give our best, we simply haven’t met the test Of giving all and saving none until the game is really won. Of showing what is meant by grit, of fighting on when others quit, Of playing through not letting up, it’s bearing down that wins the cup. Of taking it and taking more until we gain the winning score, Of dreaming there’s a goal ahead, of hoping when our dreams are dead, Of praying when our hopes have fled. Yet, losing, not afraid to fall, If bravely we have given all, for who can ask more of a man than giving all within his span, it seems to me, is not so far from – Victory. And so the fates are seldom wrong, no matter how they twist and wind, It’s you and I who make our fates, we open up or close the gates, On the Road Ahead or the Road Behind. -George J. Moriarty CAP

Daydreamer

The Matrix 1: Neo "Ever have that feeling where you're not sure if you're awake or still dreaming?" Spent anytime dreaming lately? Daydreamers, those who dream with their eyes open, design their own destiny and help develop the dreams of those around them. Here are some things I've been thinking about lately - I hope my little acronym gives you some things to chew on -- it's a simple recipe to be a daydreamer. D is for Develop: Develop a dream. A is for Action: Act daily to move your dream forward. Y is for You: You are the only thing in your way. D is for Dare: Dare to dream while others don’t and you find yourself alone. R is for Relentless: Relentlessly pursue your dream, no matter what. E is for Excellence: Strive for excellence in all you do. A is for Abandon: Abandon any other alternative plans (No Plan B). M is for Measure: Constantly measure where you are on your dream journey. E is for Explore: Constantly explore you personal growth opportunities. R is for Realization: Realize small milestones along the path of achieving your dreams. CAP

Finding Your Way...

I “did” the Incline several weekends ago. The Incline, is a mile long, roughly 1,600 meters, and rises more than 2,000 feet, or 600 meters, in the thin air. The Manitou Springs Incline is a place where you see U.S. Olympic athletes train right next to bearded old men with hiking sticks. It’s a basic, yet punishing workout: Man versus Mountain. Olympic speedskater, Apolo Ohno once said, "It's the one workout where people truly have to face something that is unbeatable. It is you against yourself." After I went on Saturday, I was challenged to go again, the next Monday morning. Standing at the base of the trail at 5 a.m., surrounded by silence, I was ready to be humbled. It was interesting to see people dart up the incline, everyone at their own pace, but all seemed to have one unwritten and unspoken rule – Don’t stop (at least for not too long). An assistant Greco-Roman coach Momir Petkovic from the Olympic Training Center has said, "Forget technology. It comes down to how much you want it. If you're in the middle of nowhere, with nothing, you are going to find your way out. You will find a way to become a champion." The incline is a lot like life, love, your desires, and dreams -- Everyday you start out on the trek, there’s new elements to navigate, new challenges, new accomplishments waiting for you at the top. Don’t stop. It comes down to how much you desire it, when you’re in the middle of nowhere, with nothing, you find your way to becoming a champion. CAP Facebook.com, twitter.com/chrisaperez

A few pics from nutrilite fam. fun day

"As One"

“As One” Pace Line Riding is when two or more riders travel in a very tight group in the draft of the rider(s) in front of you. Leader of the pace line, create a draft for others. The draft envelope behind a single bicycle can be about six feet long and even more behind a tandem. The closer your front wheel is to the rear wheel of the rider ahead of you, the stronger the draft. Riding in a pace line draft can save 20 to 30% of your energy output. This energy savings is what allows the pace line group to travel at higher speeds. However, if you’re going to ride in a pace line, one of the essential rules is never suddenly slow down or attempt a quit stop! I’m sure you can guess what might happen if someone suddenly stops in a pace line. The lead cyclist expends almost twice as much energy as his teammates by cutting through the air. This effort creates a slipstream that literally drags the rest of the team along in what is known as drafting. It’s not unlike the way the lead duck flies at the apex of a flock of migrating ducks. When the lead cyclist is finally exhausted by his efforts, he falls to the back of the pace line to recover and is replaced by someone else on the team, who continues to push and drive the others with all his might. During the Tour de France, you might have noticed just how closely the members of each cycling team ride together. Each stage, depending upon the team strategy, different teammates may be called upon to get the yellow jersey, and have their time in the spotlight on stage. Together, the members of a cycling team create and sustain speeds unimaginable for an individual cyclist. In fact, a breakaway rider who is even 10 minutes or more ahead in the race can be caught easily by a strong team using this pace-line concept. Lance Armstrong is one of the greatest athletes of our era, but that does not explain how he won an unprecedented number of Tour de France championships. The secret to Lance Armstrong’s success was his ability to form, lead, and be supported by the best team. As a group, Armstrong’s team stuck to its pace line with a discipline that no other team showed, exhausted all who tried to keep up with their blistering pace, and chased down and passed any rivals who dared to launch a challenge. We're all in Pace Lines at work, in our family, and when building our businesses. I hope you can find application for the principles below, as I have, and create or cultivate an "as one" team. Pace Line Principles: 1. The Leader expends twice as much energy as his teammates to make it easier for those racing with him/or her. 2. The Leader (a.k.a., The Puller) creates a “draft envelope” or a pull for the rest of the team. 3. When any member of the pace line slows too much it could prove disastrous for the team. 4. Together, “as one” a team can create and sustain accomplishments unimaginable for an individual alone. 5. Leaders get tired too and may need a teammate to step up so they are pulled by their draft at times. 6. Every teammate is a leader of the teammate behind them. 7. Depending on the stage of the race, it may be your opportunity to stand on stage and have the spotlight. CAP Facebook.com, twitter.com/chrisaperz

Grand Rapids Conf. pics 3of3

Grand Rapids Conf. pics 2of3

Grand Rapids Conf. - pics 1of3

Take-aways from Grand Rapids Conference

My trip to Chicago and then to Grand Rapids, MI for a conference called Family Reunion, hosted in the great Devos Place Convention Center was life-changing. Here's a quick summary of my take-aways from the weekend:

I see four parts to influence: -First, influence is the Scripture -Second, influence is the Spirit -Third, influence is the Sage -Fourth, influence is your Situation You wouldn't let someone push you off course, but you might let someone nudge you off course and not even realize it! But, when you think about it, if you can allow someone to nudge you off course, wouldn't the opposite be true as well? What if you had a regular influences nudging you along the right course, helping keep you on track? Imagine that sage voice of wisdom encouraging you to stay on course and remain focused on the important things in your life while helping you along the way to achieve your goals and pursue the unique lifestyle. How powerful would it be to have four supportive influences. Voices of wisdom encouraging you, nudging and cheering you on, helping keep you on track to achieving your goals and dreams! I'm becoming skillful in the Scriptures, so I can be led by the Spirit more, which will help me be teachable enough to be mentored by Sages in my life. If I'm doing the three things above, then I know I'll learn to influence my Situation more than my situation influences me.

I'm so thankful for the influences in my life - I hope to continue to influence others in a positive way too!

CAP Facebook.com, twitter.com/chrisaperez

Plan Your Trip

My two daughters are heading to Kanakuk Kamps (kanakuk.com) for almost a month this week! They've been on camp countdown since they arrived home last year in August! The camp is a Sports Camps in Branson, MO and is 24/7 friends, fun and sun! Lots of planning has been going on in the Perez household of late to get ready for the trip. So I'm thinking of expectation and planning. Now's the time to fix the next 10 years of our lives. Now, you may have to come to grips with reality and with truth. I have good mentors/friends that ask me directly or indirectly all the time, "Are you reading the books that are going to take you where you want to go in the next 5 years?" Excellent question. See, you want to make sure. I would assume for all of you, to get to where you want to be in the next 5 years, you are either reading the right books or you're not. You're either engaged in the disciplines or you're not. But, here's what we don't want to engage in: disillusion. Hoping without acting. Wishing without doing. The key is to take a look and say, "Where am I? What could I do to make the changes to make sure that I can take more certain daily steps toward the treasure I want, the mental treasure, the personal treasure, the spiritual treasure, the financial treasure? I don't want to make any more errors. Now's the time to adjust my daily program to take me where I want to go." I've seen and heard personal testimonies of people that have done such remarkable things with just a few suggestions. And that is why seminars, CDs and books can be so valuable. Here's a key idea for us all to remember: We could all use a little coaching. When you're playing the game, it's sometimes hard to see it all. But the key is to start right now making these changes to plan your trip. And here's what's exciting to me: just a few daily disciplines makes a great deal of difference in one year, three years, five years. And before you know it, you will be walking a brand new road. Literally, what you do day after day for the next...will literally determine the types of trips you will be able to take in the future. Chrisaperez Become a friend on facebook, follow each other on twitter.com/chrisaperez

Pump It Up Principle

How do you build muscle?

If you answered "exercise," then you are partially right. For the most part, exercise is not what builds muscle. Exercise maintains the muscle you have already built, yet it only actually builds muscle when that exercise goes into uncharted territory.

"You need more weight."

If you haven’t reached your goal, staying stagnant, or simply doing same thing you’ve done to get you to where you are today, will ensure you never grow.

In order to really push, you really need a spotter. You see, when lifting weights your muscle is built when it goes beyond its comfort zone or literally stretches beyond what you have done before. Just as you’re about to give up, you hear the voice spotting you blurt out, "One more… come on… it is all you… one more… you got it… push it up." Your spotter will consistently push you to do one more than you would if he wasn't there, and that is why when you work out with someone else your muscles are consistently in the growth zone.

Growing in life is very similar to building muscle in the gym. If you are doing what you are comfortable with or can do easily, you never will grow. You will never expand to reach your full potential. Growth only occurs in life when you are pushing yourself to something new. This could mean learning a foreign language, learning to play an instrument, conquering your fears or pursuing your life-long dream of building a business, writing a play, authoring a book or talking to people that you normally would shy away from.

If you are going to build muscle in the gym you are going to need to do two things: #1 Lift more weight; #2 Have a spotter. The answers for success in life are very similar.

Go for more weight this week and get yourself a spotter!

CAP

"Do Yes"

"Do Yes" is not some new honeydew hybrid that I discovered in the supermarket. Growing up, one of my favorite movies was Karate Kid (the subsequent sequels were a stretch, but I still was a fan). Lately, I've grown to appreciate the old sage, Mr. Miyagi and his "Miyagisms" that were laced throughout the Kkid movie(s). This moring I feel like "doing" and it brings to my rememberance a famous "Miyagism": "Either you Karate do yes, or you Karate do no. You Karate do guess so (squish noise) just like grape." People at the top of every profession share one quality – they get things done. This ability supersedes intelligence, talent, and connections in determining the size of your salary and the speed of your advancement. Despite the simplicity of this concept there is a perpetual shortage of people who excel at getting results. The “do yes” habit -- the habit of putting ideas into action now – is essential to getting things done. Here are 7 ways you can grow your “do yes” habit: 1. Don’t wait until conditions are perfect – If you’re waiting to start until conditions are perfect, you probably never will. There will always be something that isn’t quite right. Either the timing is off. The market is down, or there’s too much competition. In the real world there is no perfect time to start. You have to take action and deal with problems as they arise. The best time to start was last year. The second best time is right now.

2. Be a doer - Practice doing things rather than thinking about them. Do you want to start exercising? Do you have a great idea to pitch your boss? Do it today. The longer an idea sits in your head without being acted on, the weaker it becomes. After a few days the details gets hazy. After a week it’s forgotten completely. By becoming a doer you’ll get more done and stimulate new ideas in the process.

3. Remember that ideas alone don’t bring success - Ideas are important, but they’re only valuable after they’ve been implemented. One average idea that’s been put into action is more valuable than a dozen brilliant ideas that you’re saving for “some other day” or the “right opportunity”. If you have an idea the you really believe in, do something about it. Unless you take action it will never go anywhere.

4. Use action to cure fear - Have you ever noticed that the most difficult part of public speaking is waiting for your turn to speak? Even professional speakers and actors experience pre-performance anxiety. Once they get started the fear disappears. Action is the best cure for fear. The most difficult time to take action is the very first time. After the ball is rolling, you’ll build confidence and things will keep getting easier. Kill fear by taking action and build on that confidence.

5. Start your creative engine mechanically - One of the biggest misconceptions about creative work is that it can only be done when inspiration strikes. If you wait for inspiration to slap you in the face, your work sessions will be few and far between. Instead of waiting, start your creative motor mechanically. If you need to write something, force yourself to sit down and write. Put pen to paper. Brainstorm. Doodle. By moving your hands you’ll stimulate the flow of ideas and inspire yourself.

6. Live in the present - Focus on what you can do in the present moment. Don’t worry about what you should have done last week or what you might be able to do tomorrow. The only time you can affect is the present. If you speculate too much about the past or the future you won’t get anything done. Tomorrow or next week frequently turns into never.

7. Get down to business immediately - It’s common practice for people to socialize and make small talk at the beginning of meetings. The same is true for individual workers. How often do you check email or RSS feeds before doing any real work? These distractions will cost you serious time if you don’t bypass them and get down to business immediately. By becoming someone who gets to the point you’ll be more productive and people will look to you as a leader.

It takes courage to take action without instructions from anyone but yourself. However, you if stay in the do yes, do no mode -- you'll find, if you already haven't, you'll be squished like a tiny, little grape -- don't be that guy.

Note: This list was inspired by The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz. The book is highly recommended.

Just for Fun - here's the audio of Mr. Miyagi with one of his famous Miyagisms: http://www.entertonement.com/clips/34120/Either-you-Karate-do-yes-or-Karate-do-no

The Birth of "Optipessim"

If you pay attention to the news, read blogs, or observe pop culture you get a sense that there is a change in the air. Although we know the media reports in way that appeals to the twisted side of us that likes to slow down to look at the accident on the side of the road – it’s different now. I feel, for the masses, this change involves the death of optimism. The death of optimism has brought about a new doctrine -- I call, optipessim.

Optipessim is our culture’s dual personality between optimism and pessimism and obsession with duality and fate as the result of bipolar and multiple personality disorders. (Forgive me for throwing grammar out the proverbial “window” to create my compound word – but I hope it makes my point.)

People, unchecked, can let pessimism seep into their psyche and begin to change their lenses, in which they view life, circumstances, and the future. I understand that there are typically varying degrees of optimism and pessimism and our inclinations are not always black or white. However, I am talking about sustained duplicity – not just brief moments of the two extremes. It seems most are in a constant state of optipessim.

A long-standing case study in human behavior would find that pessimists think optimists are foolish; optimists think pessimists make themselves unnecessarily miserable. A lot of research has been done on this issue in the last 30 years. The University of Pennsylvania found that optimistic people are happier than pessimists. When something bad happens, optimists think of it as temporary, limited in its effect, and not entirely their fault. Pessimists do the opposite. They consider the setback to be permanent, far-reaching and all their fault.

In several large-scale, long-term, carefully controlled experiments, studies at U of P discovered that optimists are more successful than pessimists - optimistic politicians win more elections, optimistic students get better grades, optimistic athletes win more contests, optimistic salespeople make more money.

Why would this be so?

Because optimism and pessimism both tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies. If you think a setback is permanent, why would you try to change it?

A life is not worth living if you are pessimistic. Because that is what feels like death. That is what causes athletes to, out of despair, get drunk and wrap their cars around a pole. Or lash out at someone they love. Or that is what might have caused someone to murder their family after being laid off from their job. It is the seedy feeling of optipessim of others living life around them, that keeps their fists tightly wound around whatever dollars they can muster, caring little more than nothing about those around them that can lead to just surviving and anything goes.

We can take control of our lives, we can be optimistic, we can say - right now, these are our lives, it is time to start living it. It is time to not second guess, to move forward, to make mistakes if we have to, but to do it with a greater good in mind.

Personally, I don’t watch many R-rated movies, I’m keeping the news off, and I’m not browsing the Drudge Report. What is your antidote for optpessim? CAP