Essay, Paragraph, Speech on “A Merry Heart Goes All The Way” Long, Short Essay for School, College Students, essay for Class 8, 9, 10, 12 and Competitive Exams

A Merry Heart Goes All The Way

A pessimist is a person who always expects the worst; an optimist is one who always hopes for the best. A pessimist is, therefore, a gloomy, depressed and depressing person ; but an optimist is both cheery and cheering. His chief characteristic is cheerfulness; for even when the sky is dark he knows the sun will shine out again sooner or later. He tries to look on the bright side of things, and holds that every cloud has a silver lining.

A cheerful man is much more likely to make a success of life than a man who is always gloomy and despondent. As the old verse says :-

“A merry heart goes all the way,

Your sad tires in a mile, O.”

The cheerful man rises above trouble like a cork; while the despondent sinks to the bottom like a stone. He faces difficulties bravely, and makes light of obstacles; while the gloomy person makes mountains out of mole-hills, and cries, “There is a lion in the way!” And even when cheerfulness does not bring success, it brings happiness; for the cheerful man gets happiness out of all sorts of little things which go unnoticed by the sad eyes of the gloomy. So let us cultivate cheerfulness for our own sake.

It is still more necessary to cultivate cheerfulness for the sake of our friends and companions. They have their own cares and worries; and we have no right to make their lives more difficult with our sighs and frowns and gloomy faces. A gloomy and sad person depresses everyone he meets, and becomes an unwelcome companion; whereas a cheery friend makes life brighter for all. We must learn to hide our own troubles, “consume our own smoke”, and, even when we are feeling downcast, keep a smiling face and a cheery word for others. As the song says:-

“Pack up your troubles in the old kit-bag,

And smile, smile, smile !”

There seem to be persons who are born cheerful. They habitually look on the bright side of life. But we are not all so. Many are by nature inclined to despondency. They see only the dark side of life, and are easily discouraged and depressed. Such should resolutely set themselves to cultivate a cheerful spirit. It is as easy to smile as to frown, to laugh as to cry; and it is ever so much better for oneself as well as for others.