One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.

Ball frames discouragement as a costly indulgence and proposes a practical antidote: purposeful activity paired with a cultivated outlook. “Keeping busy” is not mere distraction but a strategy for regaining agency—doing tangible work that interrupts rumination and builds momentum. Making “optimism a way of life” suggests optimism as a practiced habit rather than a mood, something reinforced through repeated choices and routines. The payoff is internal: restored self-trust. The quote’s significance lies in its blend of realism (“learned the hard way”) and self-management, aligning resilience with daily discipline rather than sudden inspiration.