By Shubhi Sinha

May 11 (IANS): Title: Today is My Favourite Day; Author: Siddharth Shirole; Publisher: Wisdom Tree; Pages: 168; Price: Rs 150

Nobody in this world is guaranteed to lead a n entirely happy and joyous life. Misfortune, grief and obstacles are as much realities of our lives as happiness and prosperity are. This book is a splendid collection of personal experiences that brings the idea of optimism to the fore.

Titled "Today is My Favourite Day", it is a collection of some memorable experiences -- straight out of author Siddharth Shirole's journals -- that teaches you to make not just today but every day your favourite day. The book is replete with examples and anecdotes to create a sense of optimism in the minds of readers and lays down a commendable roadmap to battle the obstacles in life with an optimistic mindset.

Sundered into three stages -- the take-off, the climb and the cruise -- "Today is My Favourite day" is packed with power that lets you take on what the world throws at you, good, bad or ugly, with a never-say-die spirit. All of us are routinely hijacked by moments of pain and grief -- when we doubt ourselves and lose hope -- and the very essence of the offering at hand lies in its ability to communicate how to overcome the misery to its readers.

Optimism, in the words of the author, breeds understanding.

"When you are doing what you love to do, you are always living in the moment. You are one with yourself; you are creating the only form of truth that you need to be aware of; you are in tune with the God inside you," he writes in the book.

When in your mind you believe that a certain set of favourable things will happen, the less your mind doubts and misjudges other people. You become more appreciative of their efforts and less critical of their shortcomings or mistakes. Optimism is the thread that binds us together. It is the underlying philosophy that acts as both its foundation and superstructure.

Shirole also emphasises the guru-shishya relationship. According to him, trust is the most significant part of this alliance that begets optimism. If a person finds that he can trust another person, it leads to a feeling of optimism in him/her. That's what the power of positive thinking is all about.