From Chapter 10 “Optimism/Enthusiasm” in Ingredients of Outliers. I imagine that, at one time or another, you’ve read or heard various definitions comparing optimism and pessimism. Perhaps the oldest and most familiar one involves a glass of water (or other beverage), which the optimist describes as half-full, and the pessimist as half-empty.Well, I recently heard of a young boy who turned that comparison upside down. After drinking half of his glass of milk, he set it down and announced: “I’m an optimist. My glass is half-empty.” Told that his view was pessimistic, he replied: … [Read more...]
Do something with the chance YOU’ve been given…From a US Veteran
As I pore over the powerful words of an outlier we recently interviewed for the upcoming book Outliers in Medicine, I get a bit misty eyed thinking that he recently passed, and all that he accomplished in his lifetime. He was the grandfather of a colleague here at the Outlier Series, and as soon as we heard stories about Dr. Cromer- his service to our country as a US Veteran, his 60 years practicing as a family physician, his involvement in the community, the American Medical Association, the Antigo Unified School Board, and more Dr. Shufeldt immediately asked if we could secure an interview … [Read more...]