86 brilliantpositivepsychology Uncertainty Having goals and direction is an important ingredient of well- being and life satisfaction. However, goals must be achievable without being certain. A level of uncertainty provides challenge and demands hope. We need both to believe we can do it and then to be committed to doing so. Hope Positive psychologist C.R. Snyder believes that hope is much more than a passive emotion, containing two ingredients that together give us the mental and emotional capacity essential to reaching our goals: ability and energy. Hopeful thinking involves: the ability to problem solve ­ the mental ability to solve and devise ways to achieve a goal; and the energy to carry out the plan ­ the motivational force to carry these thoughts through with action. 74 Positive thinking is better thinking An important discovery supported by a variety of research is that `looking on the bright side' and being positive about life enables better thinking. It has been shown that people who are hopeful and optimistic in outlook are more likely to be able to think more clearly and rationally than those who look for the worst to happen. We have looked at the effect on our cognitive ability that feeling positive can have. Positive psychology is clearly dem- onstrating that thinking positively also affects our rational ability. Chapter 6, which deals with optimism, will look at this further, but start with the idea that you can and will achieve the goals you set yourself. Starting to think this way will get your brain in action. They are able who think they are able. Virgil 70­19 bc Roman poet