What's your name?

If Murphy's Law is correct, why should one waste time on optimism? The law says, 'If anything can go wrong, it will'. So, if this is the way life happens, why bother to look on the brighter side, when preparing for imminent disaster might be a safer way to protect your emotions?

Optimism or pessimism manifests in your outlook, how you speak and how you respond to the challenges of life. Depending on your reaction, you might be a YP (yes person, pronounced or Yi-Pee) or an NP (no person or, pronounced as NiPee).

So says Peak Performance trainer Glenford Smith, who notes that YPs are possibility thinking people who think and practise the Yep, or Yes mindset.

Can you think of someone who finds a problem in every solution, who questions every answer, who always finds something bad in every good situation, is sceptical about every compliment, who even finds fault with having fun; someone who doesn't even listen to the question before blurting out 'no' - that's an NP.

Negative thinking people will almost never have what they say they want. Their very mental disposition ensures that they get the opposite of what they say they want, because deep down they don't believe they can have it or that they deserve it.

Optimists, for Smith, are people for whom "The palaces of their minds have been rid of the demons of fear, doubt, indecision and the like. In their place now reside the angels of hope, optimism, and positive confidence. They have conditioned their minds to recognise opportunities and possibilities, and are most likely to say Yes, it's Possible (YP)."

NPs are negative thinking people who are always nipping possibilities and potential in the bud. They are usually blind to opportunities and possibilities and are most likely to say 'No, it's Not Possible (NP).

In denial

The optimist or YP says, "I don't know how we can get this done, but if there's a will there's a way. Let's try it and see what happens. Nothing beats a trial but a failure. When one door is closed, another one is opened. With God all things are possible. I just love a challenge - let's do this!" Now, there goes a YP! The question is - which are you?

According to Smith, far from being in denial, YPs are courageous enough to confront and resolutely turn obstacles into opportunities and setbacks into comebacks.

"NPs take the easy way out by simply finding 'reasons' why they can't - really excuses not to try. It takes strength of character to be a YP; any old bum can be an NP - which is why he's a bum in the first place."

If you are guilty of being an NP, start to practise saying Yep. Think 'why not', let's do it - let's make this happen - it's possible' instead of 'that's not possible - I don't see how.'

You must stop nipping your desires in the bud and start practising the art of saying yes to your possibilities. Be a YP and not a NP.

Smith notes that a perfect example of this is a friend of his who recently who lost one leg and an arm in a motor accident, and was just a hair's breadth from death, who is saying that even though he has lost his limbs it could be worse.

This classic YP is telling everyone that "at least he is learning to use prostethics, he is back at work, has a car and has worked out a way to drive it with one hand and one foot." He could instead be immobile, in pain, or even dead.

In all things give thanks.

Information sourced from the book 'How to Stop Wanting and to Start Having" by Glenford Smith. The Glenford Smith Seminar on Overcoming Inertia; Succeeding Through Action, Responsibility and Resilience will be held throughout the month of November. Emailglenfordsmith@yahoo.com for more information.