True optimism involves more than positive thinking or good intentions.

Our mindset will determine whether or not we will be able to cope with what life throws at us.

Knowing you have the ultimate freedom to choose your attitude is important when coping with life’s challenges.

When we become prisoners of our thoughts, we think we are powerless to change ourselves or our circumstances.

We are living in uncertain and dangerous times. Globally, we face many formidable challenges in the political, social, cultural, and economic systems upon which our societies depend. On the individual level, our most basic human needs, such as security, community, self-esteem, and achievement, are also being challenged.

We are also facing rapid changes that pressure our ability to cope. Fundamentally, it is our mindset that will determine whether or not we will cope with and, hopefully, thrive in these new circumstances.

The world-renowned psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl is perhaps best known for practicing and espousing “freedom of will” in terms of choosing an attitude when experiencing unavoidable or inescapable suffering.1

Let’s face it, human beings are, by nature, creatures of habit. Searching for a life that is predictable and within our comfort zone, we rely on routine and learned thinking patterns. We create pathways in our minds in much the same way that a path is beaten through a grass field from repeated use.

Because these patterns are automatic, we may believe that these habitual ways of thinking and behaving are both necessary and beyond our control. Thus,........

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