2009 Oratorical Contest Speech--Girl's Division

Skirt, or pants? Buy lunch, or pack? Take the bus, or drive? Each day, we are faced with countless decisions, whether they are as minor as what to wear or as significant as where to attend college. But one of the most important decisions everyone must make -- a choice that will affect the way you live the rest of your life -- is deciding your day-to-day outlook on life. Positive, or negative? Glass half full, or half empty? Optimist, or pessimist? For me, optimism is ... a choice. Optimists choose to take advantage of opportunities, choose to have a positive attitude, and choose to demonstrate tenacity in all aspects of their lives.

Optimists are eager to seize every opportunity they encounter because they are not afraid of failure -- they only see the good that can come of something. Carnegie Mellon's Professor Randy Pausch truly understood the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity. In September 2006, when Professor Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he saw it not as the end, but rather as the beginning of the rest of his life. He used his illness and the fame it had garnered him as an opportunity: he delivered "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams", a speech that shared the lessons he had learned throughout his lifetime and encouraged his listeners to live their lives to the fullest, to a packed auditorium. Randy Pausch's optimism was so strong that even President Bush took notice, thanking the professor in a letter for "enriching lives and motivating others to achieve their full potential". Sadly, Pausch succumbed to his battle with cancer on July 25, 2008, but because he had utilized every opportunity he was given, I believe he died with no regrets.

Optimists are also characterized by their positive attitudes, one of Joni Eareckson Tada's strongest traits. At age seventeen, Joni's world turned upside down when she broke her neck in a diving accident and instantly became a quadriplegic. Joni's rehabilitation was extremely difficult, and she became depressed by her new, wheelchair-bound life -- she even contemplated suicide. But once she learned to accept her new fate, Joni became the optimistic woman she is today. She married Ken Tada, and discovered a new goal in life: to help and inspire others. She learned to draw and paint using her teeth, wrote an autobiography along with several other books, became a sought after speaker, and developed two ministries: Joni and Friends and Wheels for the World. The entire time, Mrs. Tada maintained her positive attitude and encouraged others through her experiences.

Finally, optimists should demonstrate tenacity, or perseverance -- they should not give up, instead maintaining the positive outlook that they can do it. Who is a better example of tenacity then Thomas Edison? Edison was an influential inventor who became famous for developing the phonograph, kinetograph, nickel/iron storage battery, and most importantly, the light bulb. While developing the nickel/iron storage battery, Edison performed 10,296 experiments before perfecting his project. Similarly, Edison spent two years testing over 6,000 carbonized plant fibers before he found one that made a satisfactory filament for his light bulb. A pessimist would have given up in both situations, but Edison's determination and optimism kept him going -- and he was successful. Even Edison's supposed "failures" were actually successes -- he once said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work". That, ladies and gentlemen, is optimism.

For me, optimism is described by three aspects: opportunity, a positive attitude, and tenacity, or the acronym O-P-T, OPT. Every person has a choice: to OPT to take advantage of every opportunity, to OPT to always maintain a positive attitude, and to OPT to have tenacity and always persevere. So, when given the choice, will you OPT to be an optimist? I know I will.