Book Review: Secrets of the SuperOptimist by W.R. Morton and Nathaniel Whitten

We all know them. The people who always see the glass as half full or, even more irritating, more than half full. The people who are always cheerful and see the up side of things.

I used to hate them.

Now, though, thanks to Secrets of the SuperOptimist, I don't. That's because while they may be optimists, I am a SuperOptimist. My transformation shows that although Secrets of the SuperOptimist is a self-help book, it is unlike virtually any other self-help book you will read.

Undoubtedly you want to know what a SuperOptimist is and how to become one as soon as possible. The answers are simple. A SuperOptimist is someone "who has learned the mental discipline to reframe any situation into a favorable outcome," according to W.R. Morton and Nathaniel Whitten, the "receptors" of the book. You can become a SuperOptimist simply by following the 116 "wisdom transmissions" it contains. Morton and Whitten, who now give their address as a hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland, lived on opposite sides of the United States when the secrets of SuperOptimism were communicated to them from the Collective Sentience of Intergalactic Energy via a presence known as The SuperOptimist.

The secrets they received help create the mental attitude and discipline to wholly adjust your attitude. The secrets address not only philosophy but everyday elements of life. Some are sartorial, such as Secret #37, which suggests "Remove shoes whenever possible," because it "is not a coincidence" that the words soul and sole sound identical. Similarly, Secret #23 tells us to "Own and wear a sarong," in part because simply wearing a sarong "is a step closer to being on vacation."

Some rules are dietary. Thus, Secret #29 ("Make it a lungo") mandates the consumption of caffeine. The reason is simple: "Many artists, writers, and inventors come up with their best ideas in the morning. Why? Because that's when the caffeine takes hold." Now while this rule may seem apparent to anyone who stops to think about it, The SuperOptimist has the brilliance to let it change our lives.

Article Author: Tim Gebhart

Tim Gebhart lives in Sioux Falls, SD, where he practices law in order to provide shelter for his family, his dogs, and his books. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and his blog de guerre is A Progressive on the Prairie.

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