Want a job promotion, a new sweetheart, a cure for that nasty foot fungus? Just say yes! Close your eyes and imagine a future of generous end-of-year bonuses, the unconditional love of a flawless human being, feet so bacteria-free you could eat off them. Do you see it? Yes? Then you shall have it.

Obviously, this can-do spirit is what turned us into the world's most powerful nation. Without it, we wouldn't have railroads and vaccines and, coming soon, the Apple iPhone. But it's worth remembering that the phrase "the pursuit of happiness" wasn't originally connected with the terms "life" and "liberty." Thomas Jefferson's wording of the Declaration of Independence was inspired by the work of 17th century British philosopher John Locke, whose social contract outlined rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of property." It was Jefferson who substituted "happiness" for "property," saddling centuries of Americans with the notion that happiness is not only a realistic expectation, it goes hand in hand with life itself. (I say, don't blame your mother that you're in therapy, blame Jefferson.)

Of course, we've been taking Locke's advice all along by relentlessly pursuing property and confusing its acquisition with happiness. But I've always thought we'd be better served by a line like "the pursuit of contentment" or, better yet, "life, liberty and hope." That's because pursuing happiness as a social contract sounds a lot like a mandate to set pie-in-the-sky goals and then feel cheated when they don't come to pass. Hope, on the other hand, has some poetry to it. Hope acknowledges human desires while respecting life's uncontrollable forces. It's downsized from the entitlement inherent in expectation.

Do we hope our children will wind up in Ivy League colleges, or do we expect them to? Did we bank on fivefold appreciation when we bought the house with a 0% ARM, or did we just have our fingers crossed? Did the president hope military intervention would bring peace to Iraq, or did he … oh, never mind.

It's interesting how the maxim "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst" now sounds quaint. It even suggests bad karma. But that's the problem with positive thinking. It skips right over simple satisfaction and careens headlong into high expectations.

So let's stop being so optimistic. How else do we expect to beat Denmark at this game?