cover image Secrets of the Superoptimist: A Complete Account of the Original 116 Wisdom Transmissions.

Secrets of the Superoptimist: A Complete Account of the Original 116 Wisdom Transmissions.

. Vitally Important, $12.95 (158pp) ISBN 978-0-9774807-0-8

The brainchild of Morton and Whitten, a pair of ""seekers of higher truth and optimal sensation"" who claim to have received this book's 116 ""wisdom transmissions"" from a mysterious source called the SuperOptimist, this volume could become the self-help of choice for people who don't read self-help. This quirky, unique primer, categorized on its back cover as ""Psychology/ Philosophy/ Great Religious Texts of the World/ Humor,"" provides more than 100 points of advice for achieving SuperOptimism, defined as ""the mental discipline to reframe any situation into a favorable outcome."" Centered around three central principles-believing in the preeminence of your own fortune, considering pain a kind of informative ""sensation,"" and removing one's shoes whenever possible-specific ""secrets"" include: drink caffeine, ""compare yourself downward,"" wear wool, ""skip therapy,"" engage strangers and ""tip everybody."" The book also includes exercises and appendixes, as well as a handy, all-purpose slogan for 2007: ""I can handle it."" Whether or not one can, in fact, handle it, Morton and Whitten provide plenty of fresh perspective from way out in left field.