Why Doesn't Optimism Work?

Many people say "you make your own luck" or "you get what you think you will in life". I wish is was this easy.. unfortunately, most of the people in the world think things will work out, but the massive numbers of the insane, suicides, wars, etc, all prove that things really DON'T work out for many people.. I'm willing to bet that 90% of the people are positive, hopeful, optimistic, yet for only a small few reality materializes their dreams. I've never gone into a job without optimism, yet I've been laid off of the last five due to the economy - which I've also always been optimistic about (there's plenty of wealth to feed and employ everyone in the world - so why doesn't it happen?)

Someone just wrote a book about "optimism leading to the downfall of America's economy". This seems to be reality: everyone expects things to work out, then when they don't, we're all surprised.. the night of 9/11, the leading bishop of the U.S. said "nothing fails us as often or as dramatically as prayer", and prayer is an optimistic "talk with God", else it wouldn't be a tool used by most.

It seems that only a miniscule few really have things "work out" as they expect. Estimates are that 90% of us work in jobs we don't like, very few are doing what they really would like to be doing. There's a certain amount "opportunistic luck" involved that lets some people be pro poker players, pro movie watchers, pro game testers, pro musicians, pro actors, pro artists, pros at sports - and make enough at those "fun" careers to survive.. many (a majority) STARVE trying to make careers of those basically fun activities..

Why isn't the world geared more toward allowing people to ENJOY life and work? This has always baffled me, as growing up I constantly heard adults say things like "that's why they call it WORK", or "I wish I didn't have to work here", "I wish I had a million dollars", "I wish I had been born wealthy, not good-looking!"

In a utopia, we'd all be happy in our careers, or when we find a job we like, it should last until retirement but rarely does, thanks to economic upheavals and other unforeseen disasters.. there is NO job security in life, and most people move ONCE per decade for jobs whether they want to or not..

I wish I had the answer myself, my "luck" comes and goes, and my optimism is constantly being slapped in the face. We're start every new venture, every new job, really every new day optimistically, yet tragedies always occur, job layoffs and bankruptcies are common, health problems eventually cripple all of us.

Just my opinion, based on my experiences, that's all each of us has - if anyone had "the truth", we'd all know it, right?