By nature, human beings are impatient. People want great things to show up in our lives and we want them to show up now. No doubt about it, this is a microwave society - nobody likes to wait for anything.

When it takes too long for good things to things to show, we get frustrated.

For example, suppose you finished second in a tournament of some kind, are you the type of person to pull the plug and not try again? Or, would you be proud of a respectable showing and use the experience to achieve an even better finish in the future?

In life, you will be constantly confronted with having to make choices. You may opt to have a pessimistic point of view and make self-defeating choices or you may decide to take an optimistic viewpoint and make decisions to uplift yourself.

The path you take is entirely up to you. Nobody can tell you to be a victim or a victor; you can only make that decision for yourself. If it is your goal to discover how to succeed in life then choose to be a victor, choose to be optimistic - it goes hand in hand with being positive.

So why is it important to nurture an optimist's point of view? And why is now a great time to do it?

Having an optimistic outlook has been linked to positive outlook and high morale; to scholastic, athletic, military, job related and political success; to social stature; to fine health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.

Sadly, the rates of depression and pessimism seem to be at an all time high today. There is a lot of suffering in the world at this time but it just doesn't have to be that way. Yes, these are very trying times but turning things around in your life all starts with you. It is entirely up to you.

You'll be serving yourself well to adopt the habit of optimism and here's why: Optimists expect to receive abundance. They expect the best and and it is almost always what they get. Optimism is a habit. Just because you expect the best for yourself today doesn't mean you'll have it. Optimism is something that must be practiced everyday even on those days when things are just really tough.

Here is another great piece of advice on optimism you'd want to heed: stay away from bad news. The self-defeating pessimist is influenced greatly by by things which happen outside themselves. For example they watch the news, constantly feeding themselves economic doom and gloom. They will then say that their lousy lot in life is to be blamed on a difficult economy.

The fact is optimists are confronted with the same challenges of this world. What differs is the way the events are dealt with. They see difficulties as temporary events and defeat as nothing more than a setback.

Plus, and most importantly, you get what you give. Good things and good people are naturally attracted to the optimist. And you guessed it, the pessimist naturally attracts difficulties and negativity.

Frequently there will be times when it will seem very difficult to see your situation in a positive way. Sometimes life challenges us to a point where throwing in the towel seems to be the only choice which can be made. And, yes, sometimes that is the case. But, do not be the type to quit easily, give things your best before giving up.