A new year is perched to dawn.
With the new year comes the decision to be pessimistic or optimistic.
We can be pessimistic or optimistic about a number of things, including the economy, the president entering his second year in office, Gov. Pat Quinn starting another year of his administration and a gubernatorial election, and bitterly cold weather that will cause AmerenCILCO bills to soar.
Pessimists usually have a very vocal element. Whether they constitute a majority is debatable.
What is for sure is that embracing pessimism dulls the ability to see or seek opportunity.
Optimism, on the other hand, breeds vision, which is the engine that propels success.
Imagine what it would mean to Chillicothe if, in 2010, the city was suddenly populated with optimists who sought opportunity instead of seeing obstacles.
We already have seen some of that this year with the Chillicothe Optimist Club seeking the opportunity of running Town Theatre and distributing the profits to youth groups.
Other groups do the same kind of thing on a smaller scale each year.
All endeavors are necessary to making a productive Chillicothe community full of forward thinkers who make the community a better place to live, work and play.
Being an optimist is not always an easy path.
Pessimists follow an easy path made up of dead ends.
The optimist’s path may be harder, but it is a richer journey.
While deciding which path to follow in 2010, stop to consider we live in the “Land of Lincoln.”
If ever a man had reason to be a pessimist, it was Lincoln. But, he was a man who drew from a well of optimism.
Lincoln was at the helm of a nation divided by hate. Yet, Lincoln stood his philosophical ground spurred on to action by a desire larger than himself.
Despite many days that must have been darker than anything most could even imagine, Lincoln emerged from his darkness victorious.
As 2010 approaches, consider that whatever prosperity, happiness and serenity anyone achieves is colored by attitude.
Pessimism destroys the spirit.
Optimism lifts the spirit.
Choose the optimistic path and contribute to a banner new year in Chillicothe.
Chillicothe, Ill. —
