Easier said than done, of course, but nonetheless critical! Optimism is contagious and it feeds on itself. It's self-reinforcing. When you're optimistic, you remain hopeful. And while you're at it, you'll be encouraging others to do the same. Rather than spreading fear, you'll be spreading hope.

Being optimistic about the future doesn't mean you bury your head in the sand and pretend there aren't problems to deal with. To the contrary, optimists are usually more equipped and willing to do something about the problems of the world than are pessimists, who are usually too busy complaining about the problems of the world to do anything about them. The energy of optimism goes a long way toward encouraging us to not sweat the future.