From Adam Simon, West Bexington, Dorset, UK
You report that a plausible way to become an optimist is the Best Possible Self exercise, which takes 20 minutes a day for a fortnight and then wears off in another week. As a teacher, I can suggest a better way. As all good teachers below degree level know, the role isn’t primarily about imparting skills or knowledge, but generating an experience of success and sense of achievement, the consequence of which is a feeling of self-worth and the ability to be effective. This is optimism that lasts a lifetime.
