The first-ever collection of writings by Christian D. Larson, author of the famous ''Optimist Creed'' and one of the twentieth-century's pioneers of motivational thought. Contemporary research has shown that optimistic people experience longer and healthier lives, better relationships, and higher incomes. Generations before such findings, however, inspirational writer Christian D. Larson showed an amazing grasp of the life-changing power of gratitude and optimism. Today, Larson is known worldwide for his powerful meditation, ''The Optimist Creed,'' and other classics of spiritual living. But no single volume has collected his greatest writings. Here, at last, is a long-overdue anthology that makes Larson's foundational writings available to the countless readers who already know his name and work. Like no one else of his day, Larson understood the metaphysical and psychological dimensions of grateful living - or, as he famously put it, ''an attitude of gratitude.'' Affirmative thought, Larson reasoned, sets in motion unseen forces, both spiritual and psychical, and aids in manifesting our desires.''The Optimist Creed'' features complete editions of Larson's most deeply affecting works, each redesigned and reset. It contains: ''The Pathway of Roses''; ''Your Forces and How to Use Them'' (the work that features his original ''Optimist Creed''); ''Mastery of Self''; ''The Ideal Made Real''; and ''Just Be Glad.''