Where does your optimism come from?

Optimism is the invisible ingredient that powers so much of the incredible progress in society – from entrepreneurs and investors to artists and creatives who believe in something and are optimistic enough to risk their time, money, and reputation. We asked some of the most optimistic folks we know where they think they get their optimism form.

Izabella Cura

I have always been told I am a fairly optimistic person, but honestly speaking, that wasn’t always the case. A couple years ago, a friend had said that I complain too much. It didn’t feel great to hear, but I realized she was right. Thanks to her, I began thinking of ways to complain less. Adopting the “cup half-full” mindset, it didn’t take long for me to set out on a journey of self-improvement. Every day, I tried practicing an attitude of gratitude, ascertaining that I truly have the power to make positive impacts in both my life and in the lives of others, from gestures both big and small. Read more>>

Donisha Law

The journey as a single mother of five has shaped a lot of my optimism. That strength and determination, balancing multiple responsibilities. It came from the love I have for your children and a strong belief in what I can accomplish for them. Proving others wrong and showing that it’s possible to balance motherhood and entrepreneurship is inspiring. My resilience, determination, and ability to keep moving forward despite doubts. Read more>>

Issielle Johnson

My optimism comes from nature really. It inspires me that anything is possible.
Things can never be said twice if that makes sense. We are all unique. How we express ourselves is different. I take that and apply that to my creativity. Read more>>

Felicia Mendes

My optimism comes from my personal journey of growth through discomfort and learning to trust my intuition. Growing up in a state of constant fight-or-flight, I developed an awareness of how life can push us into survival mode, but also how it’s possible to emerge stronger from that. Early on, I learned the importance of resilience, yet it took time for me to realize that I hold the power to shape my life—I can break free from reactionary patterns and actively create the life I want. Read more>>

Julia Rocchio

I love this question. As I’ve matured, I’ve realized how much my mindset dictates how I feel. Optimism didn’t always come naturally to me. As someone whose thoughts tend to run negative, my parents often reminded me of the importance of staying positive. They taught me that, even when I feel down, I can still find things to be grateful for. I now understand that optimism is a choice, and I make a conscious effort to find the good in my life. Read more>>

Dedra Weiss

My optimism comes from slowing down and living in the moment. I’ve always been the most happy and optimistic when I practice slow-living and mindfulness. It is something that I’ve incorporated into my life before I even knew that there was a specific term for it. Engaging in activities that require patience and attention to detail like painting, drawing, writing poetry, bead weaving, spending quite time in nature, or tending to my garden brings me immense joy. These moments fill me with optimism for the task at hand as well as for what the future holds. Read more>>

Carissa Renard

I’d say my optimism comes from finding joy in the little moments of life. Focusing 100% of my energy on the things I can control and leaving the test alone so my mind isn’t occupied or stressed with things that aren’t up to me. Read more>>

Yuxin Yang

My optimism has gradually been built up in my search for the meaning of life. For me, optimism is the only way to confront the absurdity of existence, a belief I have always held firmly. What is the absurdity of life? It is the mechanical nature of daily life that makes one question the value and purpose of their existence, raising doubts about the state or significance of their own being, leading to confusion and a sense of disorientation. Read more>>

Valise Jackson

My optimism and purpose come from my deep faith in God. Over the years, I’ve come to see how profoundly God has guided my path and opened doors I never imagined. Now, I live a serene country life that brings me immense joy, complemented by travels that rejuvenate my spirit, unwind my body, and renew my mind. This blend of peaceful living and my profound faith fuels my optimism each day. There is something good in every day even when life dishes out those small frustrations, I just let it wash away. Read more>>

Lu Lu

Finding my goal has been a natural process. Picture books and comics from my childhood ignited my passion for illustration, and choosing illustration as my major in college was the first step in turning this passion into a career. Throughout my studies, I gradually strengthened my enthusiasm for illustration and developed a style primarily focused on vintage fairy tales. This style, inspired by antique objects, not only fuels my creative inspiration but also imparts a unique sense of beauty and storytelling to my work. Read more>>

Zach Ray

I have always been a very optimistic person! I find that being an artist forces you to become optimistic about all things in life! Truly, they go hand in hand with one another. You cannot be hopeful and confident about the future if you don’t have the passion or the push driving you to try! This life is limitless and it is up to us to show up for ourselves and do the work! The work never comes without passion driving you to bring that outcome to life. Once you have a passion under your belt the work won’t feel like work and the want to bring new things to life will become easier and you will soon be tapped into the moment of what it is you have in mind. Optimism can be applied to many avenues, I have found that staying optimistic leaves room for what’s meant to happen to happen, its a belief. Read more>>

Aliza Frey

Normally, I do not tune into what is known as “bible radio” or watch any type of televangelists, but the other day I had to drive my husband’s car because mine was in the shop. I was in dark place at the time. I felt stuck, powerless, and there didn’t seem to be any rainbows ahead. Read more>>

Edward Tianze Sun

My optimism in film editing comes from the magic of storytelling through visual art. Each edit can transform raw footage into something powerful and engaging. The ability to shape narratives, evoke emotions, and create connections between scenes feels incredibly rewarding. I believe that with careful cutting and thoughtful pacing, any film can reach its full potential, turning even the most challenging material into a compelling story. Read more>>

Hailey Forbis

There is a quote…”Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” In life, we often don’t have control over many things that happen to us, but what we do have control over is HOW we react to it. You have a choice to either react positively to a situation or negatively, you can either choose to have joy or not. Growing up, I was surrounded by incredibly positive people who taught me the importance of positivity. I also grew up a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and believe the church gives me a sense of hope and joy for a better future and that everything will work out as it was intended. I believe that growing up with the influences I had drove me to be optimistic.  Read more>>

Asua Han

That’s a really interesting question. I can’t pinpoint a specific moment in my life when I started thinking positively, even when things weren’t going as planned. Looking back on my childhood, my parents were typical hard-working Asian parents, not overly encouraging. I was often compared to my older brother, who excelled academically, while I struggled. I believe part of my drive stems from that experience. I always felt the need to prove myself, yet he was very competitive and never gave me a chance to win. When you’re constantly outdone, you have two choices: accept defeat and give up, or keep pushing until you succeed. Read more>>

Jo Giese

Recently a freak accident and a botched surgery, left me–a hiker to waterfalls all over the world–non-ambulatory. A Physical Therapist said to me, “You have to accept that you’ll be compromised for the rest of your life.” After 8 surgeries, my left achilles died, and I still wasn’t walking after 144 days. Since I didn’t know anyone who had recovered with no achilles, I could’ve succumbed to depression. Instead I refused to give up, and remained optimistic. Read more>>

Zsari D’javanneh

My optimism comes from my faith. I often look back at the tough moments in my life and think, “Wow, I’m surprised I can stay this optimistic.” When I first moved to Dallas from New Jersey, I was broke and struggling to find a job after grad school. Even though I felt anxious, I always had this unwavering faith that it was just a setback meant to build my character. Now, even when I get discouraged or anxious about the ambitious and costly visions I’ve carefully curated for my business and career, I just know that God gave me this mind and resilience for a reason, and that’s what really keeps me going. Read more>>

Choklate Moore

Optimism is my way to move through challenges quickly oftentimes challenges take us to alternate spaces, energetically, where we tend to harp a bit on the way they feel to our humanness and also how unfair it feels or seems, we often think it’s the return of bad karma and any other myriad of triggered considerations and my way to get out of those otherwise dark spaces is to believe brighter ones are on the way and spend some of that energy on the thought of them to aid in manifestation. Read more>>

Crystal Phillips

I had two very distinct personalities as parents. My dad is very analytical, very realistic, whereas my mom has always let me dream. She’s Catholic and raised me to be faithful, hopeful and joyful. She’s a bit of a silly bean. It was a good balance of personalities growing up. But I think as I got older I found life was just better, more fun when you stay in a hopeful, positive state of mind. Life seems to just be better overall. Read more>>

Jiabin Li

My optimism comes from appreciating the little things in life and holding onto hope for the future. I believe that each day brings new possibilities, and no matter the challenges I face, there’s always a way to overcome them. I draw strength from the people around me and their stories—seeing their courage in overcoming difficulties inspires me. There’s always sunlight breaking through the clouds, and I’ve learned to look for those bright moments. Read more>>

Aneisha Brackens

I think my optimism derives from the same part of my fear. That may seem silly, but at the root of fear and optimism there is some level of excitement. I think they’re both built on not knowing the outcome of whatever situation you’re in. So I choose to be optimistic that things will turn out right, instead of feeding into the fear of them not. I’m a Christian, so I think I also attribute my discipline in being optimistic to my faith. Read more>>

Michelle Hurn

I was diagnosed with anorexia when I was 12. At 5 feet tall and 57.5 pounds, I was given less than a 10% chance to live. My life has been a series of struggles, but I’m learned to reframe everything I go through. I’ve learned to use every obstacle as a gift towards becoming a better human, a better athlete, and someone who can better serve my community. I’m an ultra-runner and I’ve won several ultra marathons. Read more>>

E.d. Hackett

Up until Halloween of 2019, I always saw the glass as half empty. It was a direct result of my childhood, and it had formed early on in my life. Being raised in poverty by a single mother who happened to also be an alcoholic, was stressful for my little mind and body. I had been conditioned to expect the other shoe to drop, and save the day when it happened.
On Halloween weekend in 2019, I went to the emergency room because I had lost my vision suddenly. I could no longer drive, complete my responsibilities at work, or read. Something was wrong and it scared me. Read more>>

Celine Ramos

From the support of my family and friends especially from my fiance. He pushed me to pick up the camera again and pursue photography. Another part is from my desire to grow both as an individual and as a photographer. Read more>>

Jordan Letson

The optimist in me came about when while going through my divorce, I read “You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living An Awesome Life” by Jen Sincero and it truly changed my life. If you haven’t read it, basically it’s about having
relentless faith in yourself that you are truly capable of the wildest dreams you want to accomplish if you are brave enough to release the excuses you tell yourself as to why you can’t accomplish them. I started leaning into that mindset more and more and of course my life has, for the most part, been so much better.  Read more>>

Remy Connor

When I was a child, I grew up in a terrible household. Even the black sheep wanted nothing to do with me. But, I always had to go to the family events to keep up appearances. It would’ve been strange for me not to be there. Of course, I wanted to be anywhere but there.
I remember showing up for Thanksgiving dinner at 8 or 9 years and making the decision that if I had to be there, I may as well enjoy it. That’s when I started looking for things to enjoy. I started finding the comedy and happiness in the room. Read more>>

Kejal Macdonald

The short answer is that I think I’m biologically hardwired for optimism. The longer answer is I think optimism is also a choice we make in our outlook, choices, and responses to life. It’s never lost on me how lucky I am. Just to be alive in the world, at this time, and to have my unique set of experiences and privileges. My parents were born in different countries, so just the fact that they met and created me is so unlikely. And when you move through the world feeling lucky, a sense of optimism naturally comes with it. I have always known that things will work out for me, and even when they don’t go exactly as I wanted, something great always comes out of it. Read more>>

Darius White

My optimism comes from the desire to have a positive impact on the world around me. It inspires me to stay optimistic when the things I share have a positive effect on others. It reminds me to stay lighthearted. By sharing my art, meeting others, and expressing my thoughts and feelings, I can make a person’s day better. And that fills my purpose. My optimism comes from my friends and supporters who remind me that I am not alone and that they’ll be there for me no matter what. My optimism comes from the uncertainty of life, that a new opportunity is just ahead and we do not know it yet. I have faith in the higher power that my life will be cared for accordingly. I just want to make sure to do my part. Read more>>

Alyssa Ackerman

Working with dying and grieving people. When you face wild stories, trauma, and loss on a daily basis, you can either submerge deep beneath unbearable grief or you can see the resilience, the strength, and beauty of the people you serve. Witnessing the different ways people approach loss and change has deeply worked on my relationship with fear, anxiety, and my own loss. Read more>>

Erin Hanson

I am excited to wake up each day and go to work at my gallery in beautiful Oregon wine country. I get to paint for a living! I am inspired every day by the beautiful landscapes around me and the changing seasons. Every day I see more fall color, and the air is turning crisp and cold. Soon the leaves will drop, and I will paint the bare, abstract branches of the trees. I love the challenges of being an artist, I love the business and marketing side, and I love inspiring other artists to realize that they can make a living as an artist too. Read more>>

Ira Browne

My optimism comes from my hope in the Lord. Being on this particular journey, you have to have faith, hope and an understanding that things will work out for your good. Optimism and hope is sometimes all we have. My optimism comes from my trust in the Lord. My optimism comes from seeing him do it before, so I know he’ll do it again. That is where my optimism comes from, and how I stay so positive and full of hope on this journey. Jesus keeps me positive and optimistic. Read more>>