Page 390 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

aren’t that great. I’m just biding my time until something
else comes along.” Negative people can turn even good

fortune into bad luck.

A positive person, on the other hand, can find the good

in almost anything. My coworker Mario always says,

“Something good is going to happen today.” At first, I
thought Mario’s good cheer was just a false front. But I

have worked with him for a while now and I have begun

to see that there is nothing fake about his optimism. He

really does look for good things to happen, and he sees

failure as an incentive to work harder. Any doubt I had

about Mario’s attitude evaporated when he confided that
his wife has cancer. “It’s made me realize what’s

important in my life,” he said, “and it’s made me closer to

her than ever before.” Even tragedy has its positive side

to a positive person like Mario.

The person with a wait-and-see attitude withholds

judgment on everything. If you ask him how he is today,

he may cautiously reply, “So far, so good.” He sees no

point in committing himself when unexpected disaster or

great good fortune may befall him at any time. My elderly
neighbor is a classic example of the wait-and-see

person. The last time I saw her, I asked about her

children and grandchildren. She told me that her

daughter and son-in-law had just celebrated their twenty-

fifth wedding anniversary. When I commented on how