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The ability to overcome difficult circumstances has more impact on your success than how you handle the good stuff according to Martin Seligman, author of Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life.

While studying world-class athletes and high performers in companies, he found that optimists perform better under pressure than pessimists do. “When pessimists come up against an obstacle, they often quit; when optimists meet an obstacle, they try harder,” said Seligman. As a result, optimists stay in the game and because they believe they will succeed, they often do.

His Mom said, "He was always optimistic. We knew, even when the doctors didn't, that Lance would not only make it, but return as a world class cyclist." On July 5, 2003 Lance starts the quest for his Fifth Tour de France win, and each time he rides, he rides for many besides himself.

When Sports Illustrated named Lance Sportsman of the Year for 2002, Rick Reilly wrote in the December issue "Lance Armstrong is more than a bicyclist now, more than an athlete. He's become a kind of hope machine... they read his book, plug into his story, and let him block the wind. They see a man who once sat around the same chemo rooms as theirs breaking tapes on the tops of Alps. He welcomes it. He wants to lead them. He calls it "the obligation of the cured." And every time he rides, he feels like they ride with him."

When we approach life’s obstacles with optimism, we not only increase our chances for success, but we inspire others to move forward with hope.

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