Our team is mostly comprised of optimists and we are often asked where all this optimism comes from and often these questions have led to enlightening conversations and so we decided to ask others in our community where they feel their optimism comes from?
Ted Falcon
Optimism is loving what you do and wanting to enjoy your life doing what you love. My optimism comes from my childhood spirit of playing games and also from my mother. To me, music is just a big fun game to play with friends. Playing with sound and rhythm is kinda like kicking a soccer ball to your teammates. A shared life experience. Performing can be very exhilarating and euphoric at times. Having confidence, faith in yourself and making things happen are all uplifting, optimistic traits. I strive for positivity everyday…even in the mundane. Being prepared helps. Read more>>
Hunter Thomas Candelaria
A lot of my optimism comes from the fictional characters of that of Superman and Spider-Man. Both characters go through hardest times but know they try to leave the world in a better place than they had before. For myself, I’m someone who sees the challenges and internal feel the exhaustion of what has to get done, but go in strong and anyone I work with – keep their spirits up. Read more>>
Big Nasia
My Mama & Daddy , I’ve always seen them work hard with long hours but Seeing other people’s accomplishments made me want to go harder cause I know there is a better life that I could build myself with the work I put in. Read more>>
Marisa Sheldon
My optimism comes from seeing change happen! There is endless work to do to create more Age-Friendly Communities. An exciting and hard part of this work is that there is no ‘finish line’, the work can never be ‘done’. When I think about the success and change, big or small, that happened since the work started in 2016 to create a more Age-Friendly Columbus and Franklin County, my hope and optimism is reinforced and refreshed. Read more>>
Hailey Richard
Growing up poor in a richer town does not invite too much optimism (good natured classmates and intelligent students will deafen those sharp points). I knew I had a talent not many had (and support I didn’t know not everyone had) and to me that meant a responsibility to cater to that talent. Read more>>
Sydney Roa
Optimism is an important attribute to have as it often roots from personal experiences, external influences, and environment. I grew up in an immigrant household parented by first-generation Filipino immigrants. Filipino culture often consists of duty towards your family and respect must be given to elders. I enjoyed the culture my family brought back from their homeland. However, as they brought their rich culture with them, unhealed trauma followed. Both my parents came from unhealthy upbringings causing them to separate when I was sixteen. At this point, I was dealing with societal pressures, but also battling the outpour of emotions from my parents. My mental health deteriorated heavily. Read more>>
Ian Coleman
As was said very well in the Shawshank Redemption, “It comes down to a simple choice really. Get busy living or get busy dying.” I care a lot about the world and the future of the world, both in my small part of it and for the whole of it. With that I have to believe that things can get better and that good things can happen. If we don’t believe there’s much of an impact that we can have, then life is a pretty depressing thing, a feeling of wasting away, but if we believe that life is worth living and that we can make our life and others lives better then there is a world of possibilities before us. I want to enjoy my life. Read more>>
Aloren Martin
I believe that optimism is a choice. I choose to be optimistic about what might happen in a situation. This is actually something I trained myself to do. I used to be someone who was very pessimistic. Whenever too many good things happened I would look around and start waiting for the other shoe to drop. One day I saw a video talking about “finding the joy” in everything around you. I had just ended a 6 year relationship and I desperately needed that in my life. So I did what it said. I looked in my day for anything that made me smile. And it could be anything. Maybe it’s an excited puppy on your walk. Or a flower you’ve never seen before. Read more>>
Nicole King
My optimism springs from my love for giving, creating, and sharing joy! I’m lucky to be surrounded by friends, family, and an amazing artist community that fills my days with reminders of life’s abundance. There’s nothing like the sound of my four kids’ laughter to lift my spirits! Designing fun fashion pieces for my brand, ngai, keeps the inspiration flowing and adds to my happiness. Living in Monticello, NY, surrounded by nature, brings me pure joy—especially when I take long walks with my dog, Spencer. And each night, I wrap up my day by journaling, locking in that joy and optimism before I drift off to dreamland. Read more>>
YONSON
Honestly, my optimism comes from this simple belief I have: if you’re dedicated and persistent, you can achieve almost anything. I’ve seen it play out in my own life. When I stick with something, even when it’s tough, I start to see results. That’s what keeps me going and why I stay positive, because I know if I put in the work, things will eventually fall into place. Read more>>
