Thich Nhat Hanh On Optimism:

"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today."

Thich Nhat Hanh was right about this because I always feel better if I remember that for each bad day, there will definitely be an equally good one to make up for it. Also, in running, I learned to get into a state of mindfulness, focusing on the three and a half hour runs, six days per week, by only each breath that I took, and not on other distractions around me, or in my mind.

I thought of these long runs as a chance to meditate on mindful breathing, and focus myself on just being fully present in my body. Each run then became a better opportunity to feel more optimistic and self-confident about my other fitness goals: 400 non-stop, sit-ups/day, and 150 non-stop, push-ups/day.