There are a lot of good reasons to be more optimistic. Interestingly, it also seems simply pretending to be an optimist has many of the same benefits. This episode starts with a discussion on how real or pretend optimism can be good for everyone and why even the most hardened pessimist might want to try looking at the bright side of life. Source: Michael Mercer, PhD author of Spontaneous Optimism (https://amzn.to/3vo7oc9). To be successful typically requires skill, practice and hard work. However, one often overlooked strategy to being successful is - reverse engineering. In other words, by taking apart and analyzing what others have done to be successful, you can find a better path for yourself, according to psychologist Ron Friedman. Ron is author of the book Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success (https://amzn.to/2REVhc7). Listen as he reveals how some of the top people in their field use this technique to achieve greatness and how you can too. Few of us are fans of houseflies. I'm sure you don't like them buzzing around your head or landing on your food or ruining your outdoor picnic. As pesky as they are though, we couldn’t survive with flies. There are about 20 million flies on the planet for every human and they actually do some very beneficial things for us, according to biologist Jonathan Balcombe author of the book SUPER FLY: The Unexpected Lives of the World’s Most Successful Insects (https://amzn.to/3bVgqp3). Listen as he takes you on a tour into what it is like to be a fly and all the gross yet beneficial things flies do.  Growing up I am sure you were told to go play outside. We have all heard that it is good to be outdoors. How good is it? Listen as I explain the very concrete benefits of being outside in nature for all of us – and especially for kids and teens. https://positivepsychology.com/positive-effects-of-nature/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Summer Sale Event is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! It’s the perfect season to power your passions during Dell’s Summer Sale Event. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match We really like The Jordan Harbinger Show! Check out https://jordanharbinger.com/start OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices