There is a story about a farmer who was continually optimistic and seldom discouraged.

He had a neighbor who was just the opposite.
Moody and gloomy, he faced each new morning with a heavy sigh.

The happy, optimistic farmer would see the sun coming up and shout over the roar of his tractor, " Look at that beautiful sun and clear sky!"

With a frown, the  negative neighbor would reply, "Yeah! It'll probably scorch the crops!"

When the clouds would gather and a much-needed rain would start  to fall, our positive farmer would smile across the fence, "Isn't this great! God is giving our corn a drink today!"

Again, the same negative response,  "Oh! But if it doesn't stop before long, it'll flood and wash everything  away."

One day the optimistic farmer decided to put his pessimistic  neighbor to the test.

He bought the smartest, the most expensive bird dog  he could find.
He trained him to do things no other dog could do.
Then, he invited the pessimistic neighbor to go duck hunting with him.

They sat in  the boat, hidden in the duck blind, and the ducks started flying in. Both men  fired their guns and several ducks fell into the water.

"Go, and get them!" Ordered the dog's owner.

The dog leaped out of the boat, walked on the  water, and picked up the birds one by one.

"Well, what do you think of that?" The pessimists said. "He can't swim, can he?"

Some people are defeated by  their attitudes before the race is ever started.

Others will never be defeated for the same reason