Henry Ford said “whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

 And so, we have a choice:

 We can believe that we can, and then there is a chance that we well. Or, we can believe that we can’t, and in this case, it is guaranteed that we won’t.

 We can choose to believe we will make the sale. And then we might. Or, we can choose to believe we won’t succeed, and I’d bet my children’s college money — which is very important to me —  that we will not.

 We can attend a speech or workshop, and we can choose to think about how these new approaches we are learning about can work for us. How can we apply them? How can we modify them for our own world? Or we can spend an hour or two thinking about why these things won’t work, why they’re not right for us.

 I’m describing the difference between optimism and pessimism, and study after study shows that optimists out-perform pessimists. They are happier. They are bolder. They are more confident.

 I believe that. What do you believe?

 What will you choose?

 CUBS CASE STUDY: My Chicago Cubs were down three games to one in this World Series. We won last night, so now it’s 3-2. Countless Cubs fans are in despair. But I looked it up: this team has won three games in a row (which is what it will take to win the World Series) 21 times this year.  Here comes 22! This is what I believe. [Of course I could be wrong, but I’m happier knowing this, and believing it.]