Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

I came to the conclusion that the optimist thought everything good except the pessimist, and that the pessimist thought everything bad, except himself. (G. K. Chesterton)

Some Definitions To Make Sure We’re All On The Same Page

Conclusion - A reasoned deduction or inference. A result, issue, or outcome; settlement or arrangement.

Optimist - A person who holds the belief or the doctrine of optimism. One who has a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.

Thought / Think - To have a conscious mind, to some extent of reasoning, remembering experiences, making rational decisions, etc.. To employ one’s mind rationally and objectively in evaluating or dealing with a given situation.

Everything - Every thing or particular of an aggregate or total; all.

Good - Morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious. Right; proper; fit. The opposite of bad.

Except - With the exclusion of; excluding; save; but.

Pessimist - A person who holds the belief or the doctrine of pessimism. A person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst or is disposed to be gloomy.

Bad - Not good in any manner or degree. Having a wicked or evil character; morally reprehensible. The opposite of good.

Source: Dictionary.com

Optimism vs. Pessimism - What’s The Major Difference?

The major difference between Optimism and Pessimism is the beliefs and thoughts of the person.

William Shakespeare said: There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.

In other words, Shakespeare was suggesting it is our thoughts that control our outlook. If we inherently believe things are good, we are more like to see good things. If we inherently believe things are bad, we are more likely to see bad things.

Our Thoughts Shape What Comes To Us

If we constantly tell the Universe (through our thoughts), that things are good, it will send good things to us. If we constantly tell the Universe (again, through our thoughts), that things are bad, it will send bad things to us.

No one knows why that is the case, but it seems to be true.

This idea is often referred to as the Law of Attraction.

What Do I Believe?

I believe the Law of Attraction, taken by itself, is too simplistic. There is much more to it than that.

Anyone who has followed my site for any length of time, or read my 2 previous books, has read about the concept of Achievement IQ® and the 100 Laws of Positioning®.

If you have read about them, I stress that there are 4 main characteristics that control how successful we are (in other words, how good things will turn out).

They are:

• VISION
• ATTRACTION
• READINESS
• ACTION

As you can see, the Law of Attraction is only one part of the process.

So, What Controls Our Thoughts?

VISION - If you look for good, we will find good. If you look for bad, we will find bad. Optimists look for good things. Pessimists will look for bad. Guess what? - They both tend to find what they’re looking for.

ATTRACTION - We discussed this above.

READINESS - If you are ready to deal with good things as they come our way (and believe me - they WILL come, whether you’re ready or not), you will be positioning ourselves to have good things happen. If you are not ready, OR if you are only ready to deal with bad things, then you’ll will probably wind up with bad outcomes.

ACTION - If you actually make the effort to act when good things come, you will produce good results. If you sit back and don’t act, OR if you only act in a bad manner, then you will produce bad results.

So, What’s The Conclusion?

Most of what happens to you is up to you. YOU control. YOU decide.