"Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so. If you assume there is no hope, you guarantee there will be no hope." ~ Noam Chomsky

Have you ever been advised to abandon a pursuit because of the unlikelihood that you will succeed? And yet been driven to try despite the odds? If so, you have the heart of an optimist.

The willingness to perceive the world around us in the light of positivity goes beyond the notion that optimists are simply Pollyannas, with no grounding in reality. If, when presented with a challenge, we see little chance at success, then we are hardly driven to try and we have already determined the outcome. But in our willingness to take a chance, we are not simply waiting for a positive outcome, we are actively creating it.

Every time we step onto our mats we - knowingly or not - show up because we believe that our practice has something to offer. It may be something as simple as taking our first deep breaths of the day. It may be in the more profound nature of wrestling a tough issue through physical movement. But all of it stems from a sense that whether we are growing with it or through it, we are growing. If we cannot be witness to our own expansion, we will not be inspired to try.

Let hope not be forsaken. Let optimism be our strategy for making changes that not only improve our own lives but also of those who surround us. Far from being unrealistic, you are manifesting the reality that serves us all. And that is the heart of our practice.

We’ll see one another on our mats!