Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. —John Wooden
I found this quote a few days ago and put it aside in my ideas' piggy bank. It's a small collection of ideas, prompts, quotes and titles from which I source inspiration in those dry mornings when nothing comes up spontaneously.
So, I scrolled through my little list of ideas, and this quote caught my eye. Wooden was a basketball coach, probably one of the best in his field. He won a lot, and he is often quoted in books about leadership.
I like this quote, in particular, because it summarizes my idea of optimism. In fact, the word optimism derives from the Latin optimus, meaning "the best". Optimism is not believing that everything will be alright. It is the ability to make the best of any given situation.
So, being an optimist means trusting that I can make the best of any situation that comes my way, when possible, and the best of myself through learning and growing.
However, while I write this post, I can't help but think of all those people who are going through circumstances so dramatic that the best they can aspire to is to live another day. And this quote and my reflections suddenly feel hollow. Yet, somehow, I feel I owe them to stay optimistic.