Speech -- Power of Optimism
The Power of Optimism: How Optimism can Help Make for a Better Life
Speech Outline
The Power of Optimism: How Optimism can Help Make for a Better Life
Attention Grabber:
What is optimism? Why should we want to make our lives better? What is the power of optimism? How can people become more optimistic? How can people harness the power of optimism to improve their lives? The problem with life is -- it's hard. There is not one person who has, at least once in life, hoped, wished, or desired to change life for the better. Where does positive change begin? It begins with our perspective, disposition, and outlook on life. Problems are solvable. It is feasible to reach our goals. We cannot imagine or accept the best solutions to our problems if we lack the capacity for optimism. Optimism is more than a philosophy on life; within optimism is the power to change ourselves and in turn, our lives. Optimism can help us come up with that great idea that saves the day; optimism can help us get through a tough day or tough, long period of time. Optimism has the power to maintain physical health and develop the precise skills necessary to cope and adapt to life's numerous challenges. Optimism is a key ingredient of most people's definitions of success. Today, we will hear what optimism is and what adopting optimism can do for us with some focus and application.
About the Problem:
Life is tough. It is an on-going battle. This speech will identify types of challenges people typically face in life and the typical responses to such situations. The speech will also address the issue of perspective or outlook when facing a dilemma. The true problem is not the problem itself; the problem is the process of adopting a method of reaction and perspective that assists us the most effectively when we wish to effect change in our lives. Moreover, the speech will inform listeners as to what optimism is and how it can best serve us in the universal struggle to live.
Thesis Statement:
Optimism is a perspective, when effectively adopted, will enable long-term, systemic positive changes in a person's life in matters that are professional, personal, and physical.
Body of the Speech
Let me begin by explaining what optimism is not. The opposite of optimism is pessimism. The word for bad in Latin is "malus." The superlative adjective of bad, which is worst, is "pessimus" in Latin. The etymology of the word pessimism reveals the fundamental perspective of pessimism. Pessimists believe in the worst and most negative possible outcomes for all, or at least most, occurrences in life. Pessimism contends that the bad and the evil outweigh the good. How does pessimism affect a person? Forster aptly quotes Former President of the American Psychological Association Seligman in his discussion of optimism:
"I have studied pessimism for the last twenty years, and in more than one thousand studies, involving more than half a million children and adults, pessimistic people do worse than optimistic people in three ways: First, they get depressed much more often. Second, they achieve less at school, on the job, and on the playing field than their talents augur. Third, their physical health is worse than that of optimists. So holding a pessimistic theory of the world may be the mark of sophistication, but it is a costly one. It is particularly damaging for a child, and if your child has already acquired pessimism, he is at risk for doing less well in school. He is at risk of greater problems of depression and anxiety. He may be at risk for worse physical health than he would have if he were an optimist. And worse, pessimism in a child can become a lifelong, self-fulfilling template for looking at setbacks and losses." (Forster,"Focusing on Strengths and Optimism," Page 2)
Pessimism is a state of mind studied by prominent psychologists for several decades. There is scientific evidence that supports that a persons state of mind directly corresponds to how the body functions as well as how the person's life progresses. Depression has become fair more widespread in the United States of America and in other countries in the 21st century. Though there are many causes for depression, pessimism has been proven to be one of them. As depression has affected more and more people, more information about the affects of depression on the sufferer and those around the sufferer have become more accessible and become part of mainstream common knowledge. Depression can lead to excess weight, eating disorders, sleep disorders, suicide, isolation, various paraphilias, and other side effects. Therefore, pessimism is dangerous and potentially fatal.
Practicality and...
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