We all want success. We all want to live comfortable lives, staying in control, staying on top of problems. But life seems to batter every one of us with waves of problems that sometimes leave some of us wiped out. But there is a way to rise above it, so that we can control the way we ride with the waves, and not have these waves keep us under.

It's so simple, that you will be surprised. No, you'll be shocked.

Have Realistic Optimism.

Optimism may evoke images in you of bubble-blowing happy people who irritate to no end. But no, this is different. This is optimism based in reality.

Have you heard the modern saying that you can't control the circumstances, but you can control how you react to these? Well, you can. Don't ever think that you are a slave to your circumstances or your emotions. Your mere thoughts can turn things around. And all it takes is practice.

What this takes to practice is the discipline to think the best of every situation, and yet grounding yourself in the realization that anything can go wrong. But when things do fall apart, you know how to react, because you'll teach yourself how to.

The bedrock of this practice is in learning the essence of choice. If you can choose the words to use to seal a business deal, you can choose the emotions, the thoughts that linger in your mind and use these thoughts to guide your tangible choices.

Take for example, a storm hits your area, and your basement gets flooded. You can either pull your hair out and weep like a baby, OR, you can stand up and start clearing what the flood has left in its wake.

When negative circumstances hit you, make the conscious decision to say no to the easy way with coping with it: becoming angry and bitter. Choose instead to see the better side of the situation. Even if it seems inane at the moment, go with your rationalization of why the situation happened to you.

Another example: you're stuck in traffic for two hours. Given that you don't have a meeting to go to, tell yourself that you can make the most of the situation and do so. Do not stress about it. If you see it the way I do, you will note that you can catch up on email on your mobile gadgets. You can read that book you've waited so long to read, if you have it with you. You can do breathing exercises, and even meditation. Do not sit there grumbling and feeling sorry for yourself. See the silver lining the gray. Remember that even rains bring rainbows.

Everything in life is a choice. Do not let yourself be the victim of a poor choice of thoughts. Remain in faith, in optimism, that life has so much more to offer. But be realistic. The bottom line, again, is choice. And throw in some balance for good measure.