“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” a tongue-in-cheek comedy song written by Monty Python member Eric Idle, first featured in the 1979 Python film Life of Brian and was a Top 10 hit in the Australian Music charts. It is a theme song for optimists.

An optimist is a person who engages in positive thinking and looks on the bright side of life. An optimist is inclined to be hopeful and to expect good outcomes.

Faith is described as the substance or assurance of things we hope for but have not yet received.

In Silver Linings, Terry Lees explores the strong connection between optimism and faith. Terry concludes that by maintaining an optimistic outlook, rooted in unwavering faith and a conviction of our own abilities, we unlock the potential for achievement.

Listen to the episode below, or continue on to read the transcript.

Episode Transcript:

“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” a tongue-in-cheek comedy song written by Monty Python member Eric Idle, first featured in the 1979 Python film Life of Brian and was a Top 10 hit in the Australian Music charts.

It’s one of those songs that spontaneously pops into my head, where it plays repeatedly, sometimes for days. I reckon it’s because I am an optimist!

Look no further than the name of these daily radio broadcasts – Silver Linings with its closing salutation of “Look for the Silver Lining” – to accept I am an optimist. As further proof, I write a monthly newspaper column titled Gold in the Dawning Sun.

An optimist is a person who engages in positive thinking and looks on the bright side of life. An optimist is inclined to be hopeful and to expect good outcomes.

Faith is described as the substance or assurance of things we hope for but have not yet received. Faith is also our evidence of that which is not seen – the invisible spiritual things. Faith is trust, assurance and confidence in God and Jesus Christ. Living faith is not just believing that God exists, it is demonstrated by one’s service and obedience to God.

There is a strong connection between faith and optimism. Pope Francis said. “I propose these three characteristics for your testimony at this time: honesty, responsibility and optimism. All three accompanied by discernment.”

Evangelist Billy Graham said, I am an optimist ultimately because I believe in God… Optimism and cheerfulness are products of knowing Christ. If the heart has been attuned to God through faith in Christ, then its overflow will be joyous optimism and good cheer.”

The Dalai Lama is a promoter of optimistic thinking: “Choose optimism. It feels better.”

Research shows that religious beliefs and practices are related to greater optimism, higher life satisfaction, happiness, hope, purpose and lower levels of anxiety and depression.

Contemporary research shows that optimistic people experience longer and healthier lives and better relationships. Generations before such findings, inspirational American teacher and prolific author Christian D. Larson showed an amazing grasp of the life-changing power of gratitude and optimism. Like no one else of his day, Larson understood the metaphysical and psychological dimensions of grateful living – or, as he famously put it, “an attitude of gratitude.” Affirmative thought, Larson reasoned, sets in motion unseen forces, both spiritual and psychical, and aids in manifesting our desires.

The Optimist Creed was authored in 1912 by Christian D. Larson, appearing in his book Your Forces and How to Use Them. Many have found inspiration from it. In hospitals, the creed has been used to help patients recover from illness. In locker rooms, coaches have used it to motivate their players.

Promise yourself . . .
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

Every philosophy is ultimately based upon assumptions which cannot be proven and therefore must be taken by faith. It is said that to sleep is an act of faith. Eleanor Roosevelt said:  If you lose money you lose much, if you lose friends you lose more, if you lose faith you lose all. 

Helen Keller eloquently captures the essence of the relationship between optimism, achievement, hope, and confidence when she said: ‘Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.’

By maintaining an optimistic outlook, rooted in unwavering faith and a conviction of our own abilities, we unlock the potential for achievement. So, let optimism be our guiding light on the path towards a brighter and more fulfilling future.

Look for the Silver Lining.

This is Terry Lees.

[Music: My Next 30 Years – Tim McGraw]