Chelsea Justice, a senior at Tecumseh, recently won the Optimist Club of New Carlisle’s essay contest based on a theme of “Optimism Should be a Priority.”

Justice was awarded 1st Place for the honor. In addition, the essay will be sent to the district level to be judged along with winners from other Optimist Clubs in the district. College scholarships are available for top winners at the district level.

“Chelsea did a wonderful job of articulating this year’s theme. She expressed herself well through the essay and deserved the honor of first place,” Club President Carl Gilbert said.

Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with 75,000 adult and youth members in 2,600 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico and throughout the world. Carrying the motto “Bringing Out the Best in Kids,” Optimists conduct positive service projects that reach more than six million young people each year. To learn more about Optimist International, please call (314) 371-6000 or visit the organization’s website at www.optimist.org.

Here is Chelsea’s winning entry.

“Optimism Should be a Priority”

Chelsea Justice | February 16, 2015

I am not an optimist. I lie awake at night, plagued by a combination of light worry and crippling fear. What if I fail?  What if I never get job?  What if I amount to nothing? What if--? As such, I naturally look to the bad side of things. So, I am not, nor can I ever be, an optimist. But I wish I could be.

If an optimistic girl fails a test, she does not panic. She simply shrugs it off, resolves to study more in the future, and is better for it. She does not cry. She does not lose sleep over it. If she makes a mistake at work, she fixes it without falling all over herself, scrambling to apologize. She does the job neatly, without damp, crumpled papers or down turned eyes. She does not make the same mistake.  It doesn’t even enter her mind as a possibility. She does not worry about her future. She knows that she will be able to handle what comes. She does not play scenario after terrible scenario in her mind. She does not think of all the ways one small event could go wrong.

As far as I am concerned, optimists are superheroes, or creatures of weird, extraordinarily unlimited power and strength. They could be mythical beings, my pessimistic mind thinks, if not for the fleeting glimmers I’ve seen of them in daily life. They are the leaders, the party hosts, the bosses. They are the best friends, the popular kids, the people everyone wants to hang out with. They are real, believe it or not, and I think all of us pessimists hate (if only for how we cannot be them) and love them in equal measure.

In a dark world, or a world that is at least perceived to be dark, the common people flock to the light. This is what optimists are for pessimists or others straddling the line between-­ beacons of light. They are vital to us all, voices that preach positivity and cry out for hope. Every life needs at least one optimist in it.

The glaring need for optimists cannot be downplayed. There isn’t exactly a shortage of them--every person on earth knows at least one or two optimists--but there can never be too many. Who else will offer precious words of encouragement, or bring together in their darkest times? Who else, but the optimist?

With these needs and ideas in mind, everyone, be they children at school, young adults in the real world, or seasoned grownups at the workplace, should strive to be optimists. If total optimism isn’t possible for the individual, they should at least try to be as positive as they can. A good attitude will help the children make friends, prepare the young adults for the world, and greatly benefit the grownups in their careers.

The positive effects of a good attitude are not only limited to serving others, however.

There are few things in this world that are better than hearing, “Oh, you’ve just made my day!”, or making your friend laugh if they’re at a low point in their lives. When a loved one smiles for something you’ve said or done, there is an undeniable sense of purpose that is universally inspiring and attractive to others.

Again, my naturally pessimistic views cloud these images for me. For the overwhelming majority of my young adult life, I have dealt with generalized anxiety disorder, which is exactly what it sounds like: a constant, vague feeling of impending doom, unshakeable fear, and constant restlessness. With such a cloud hanging over me, I hope one could understand why I hold optimism as a coveted treasure, or a mythical heroic trait, or, simply, impossible.

After exhausting, dismal days of panic and negativity, I would voice this thought to those around me. “Be positive,” my mother would tell me. “Look on the bright side,” my father would add. In my most dramatic, Shakespearean voice, I would respond in despair, “It’s impossible.” In that moment, and sometimes still to this day, I truly believed my words.

I know better, though. I’ve seen optimism, beauty, and light all around. Those little gems, specks of glitter in clouds of dust, gave me hope in my lowest points. Optimism should be a priority in life for that simple reason--hope.