I am an opinion poll junkie. Maybe that's why we have a whole section dedicated to Opinions and a Quick Poll on our home page every day :)   I love to read all the studies that come out asking Americans what they think about just about everything.  

There are two schools of thought about what to make of polls, and any research really.  One says that what we think affects what we do.  Another says what we do affects what we think.  

Take the latest news out from Gallop about Americans opinion of the national economy in 2011.  More than half the people polled said they are optimistic that 2011 will be better than 2010.  25% said it would be worse.  And nearly a quarter said it would be about the same.  

Asked about their personal economic situation, and the numbers shift.  Fewer than 50% say they are optimistic about their personal economic situation improving in 2011. 39% say it will stay the same.  And 16% say it will be worse.

These opinions were registered in advance of holiday spending.  So you might think that while people may have "felt" better about the overall economic situation of the country they would "act" with caution given their concerns about their personal finances.

Not the case. According to Gallop, holiday spending  following Christmas was better than prior years, with daily spending levels up by as much as 25% over 2008 and 21% over 2009.

Did we act differently in hopes it would make us feel differently?  Did we somehow divorce or suspend what we thought with what we did because it was the holiday?

Here's what I know.  We humans aren't always rational beings.  We may know something (a set of facts), yet feel something different that leads us to do something different.  I also know that more times than not, we get out of life what we expect.  If we expect things to be bad, they probably will be.  If we expect them to be better, they probably will be.  The key is to keep our thoughts and attitudes positive while keeping our actions in perspective.  Spending heavily because you think things are getting better and you will get that raise is not a sign of living optimistically.  It is a sign of living dangerously.  Working to get that raise you know you deserve, and planning for how you'll spend the extra money when you do is smart living.

Personally, I believe the best about every day, week, month or year until proven otherwise.  And even then, I think about the lessons I am learning and the growth I am experiencing.  So keep your thoughts positive and your actions positively in check and 2011 will be a great year for you, no matter what happens to the US economy.