by Dino Asproloupos

On a recent fishing trip in the Gulf Islands with my nephew, we were quickly realizing that the fish were not in a mood to bite, never mind being caught. Trying to keep a 6 year old motivated and focussed on a 22 ft. fishing boat is a tough job when there are no fish to reel in! Well we decided we would stop trolling for salmon, and start fishing for cod. This way he could actively participate in fishing. Helping him hold the rod, and teaching him how to fish, I thought this was a great chance to introduce him to the art of positive thinking. "What are we thinking and saying as we wait for the fish to bite?" I asked. "We're not going to catch anything!" he replied bluntly. Finding my opening for the optimism lesson du-jour, I grinned, "Well I think we need to look at this with a positive attitude". He looked at me triumphantly, as only a 6 year old can, and replied, "I'm POSITIVE, we're not going to catch anything!"

To the optimist the glass is half full.
To the pessimist the glass is half empty.
To the engineer the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.