Be optimistic! You'll live longer

Did you hear the story about the optimist and the pessimist? The pessimist turns to the optimist and says, "It can't get any worse." The optimist replies, "Of course it can." All irony aside, it's important for business writers, which we all are, to be optimistic in our communications with prospects, partners and clients. Optimism instills confidence, and the key to selling anything is giving them confidence in the product or service being sold.

What do we mean when we say be optimistic? It means never give up hope. If you're notifying a client about a drop in sales, be sure not to stop there. Point out steps that are being taken to reverse the decrease. If you have to tell a potential affiliate that their application to join a program is denied, make sure you offer a few tips that could help them make the cut next time. If you find yourself speaking about pitfalls in your industry, make sure your speech includes thoughts about how these pitfalls can be overcome in the future.

Things go wrong. People make mistakes. Campaigns have bad months. What's important is that you don't become overwhelmed by the negative side of things. Here are some different ways to think about optimists and pessimists. Whenever you find yourself slipping into negativity, read these and turn that frown upside down:

* An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears that this is true.

* An optimist laughs to forget. A pessimist forgets to laugh.

* A pessimist complains about the noise when opportunity knocks.

* The optimist is as often wrong as the pessimist, but is far happier.

* I'm an optimist, but I don't think it helps.

* Optimists are nostalgic about the future.

* It doesn't hurt to be optimistic. You can always cry later.

* Always borrow money from a pessimist. He or she doesn't expect to be paid back.

* The optimist says, "My cup runneth over, what a blessing." The pessimist says, "My cup runneth over, what a mess."

* A pessimist is one who sees in others his or her own worst characteristics.

* No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit."