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?
Denzel Ortega
One of the biggest challenges of life is learning to look forward, and that was one of the hardest things to learn especially in the tattoo industry.
My optimism would definitely come from all of my supporters, friends, family, clients, everyone who stands by my side rooting me on from the sidelines telling me that no matter what life throws my way, it’ll all work out in the end. Read more>>
Camesha Gosha
I am a self-described optimist. I tend to always look for the bright side of a situation. Knowing that it could always be worse has been my motto for a while. It’s a reminder to be grateful in the moments when you don’t see anything to be grateful for. There’s always something, I promise. I also tend to be optimistic when it comes to business. It can be intimidating to start a new venture. I often remind myself that others have done it, so it’s doable. I just have to do it in a way that makes sense for me. Read more>>
Marisa Valdez
I’m pretty optimistic, and I think much of that comes from my upbringing. I was raised by a single mom who had to deal with a lot of challenging situations. Being the older sister, I had to learn to be tough and resilient early on. Those hard times made me believe that things will always work out. Even though my parents got divorced, I had good support from my aunts and uncles, who always encouraged me to stay positive and be of service to others. Seeing them handle challenges so well has rubbed off on me and influenced my desire to help and support others, which naturally leads to me having a positive outlook on life. Read more>>
Federico Peri
I am not the perfect example of an optimistic person, but I always try to focus on the positive side of things. In fact, I love surrounding myself with happy, positive people with great energy. I find optimism especially in work: creativity can only be a happy, and therefore positive, theme! Read more>>
Kenny Adrian
I would say definitely my parents, but especially my mom! From a young age, she has always instilled in me a fiery passion to keep pushing and keep dreaming, even of achieving things that may seem out of reach. Even when I don’t believe in myself or think we don’t have the means, she would always say that good luck or good fortune isn’t solely dependent on us, mere humans. She reminds me that even when we feel we fall short, there’s always a bigger power that may give us the boost needed to achieve our dreams. I think this sentiment has always given me strength in times where I feel powerless. Read more>>
Theodore Massillon
My optimism stems from my experiences growing up in a close-knit community where support and encouragement were always present. One pivotal moment that shaped my optimistic outlook occurred during my early days as a marketer. I had just started NOM Media, and we were working with a small, local business that was struggling to gain traction. Despite our best efforts, initial campaigns didn’t yield the expected results. It was a challenging time, filled with self-doubt and uncertainty. However, instead of giving up, I chose to see the potential for growth and learning in the situation. I immersed myself in understanding the client’s business, experimenting with different strategies, and seeking feedback from mentors. Slowly but surely, we began to see improvements. The business started to gain visibility, and their sales increased. This experience taught me the power of resilience and the importance of a positive mindset. Read more>>
Sarah Pendergast
As a speech therapist, I am so fortunate to be in this field to provide services to children and their families. I am passionate about caregiver coaching and feel empowered when I am able to help someone. My passion for speech therapy keeps me motivated and excited every day. I am also supported by a wonderful community of colleagues, friends, and family, whose encouragement reinforces my optimistic outlook. My optimism is rooted in my love for my profession and the incredible people I work with. Read more>>
JC Coccoli
There is a choice in life to invest in optimism and risk results you desire (whether good or bad) or succumb to pessimism and never chance anything worthwhile. I see optimism as a super power -one that has to hold its ground against life’s most challenging and/or tragic events to thrive and flourish. My understanding for optimism and the determination to lean heavily towards it in my career and personal life came in elementary school as a child. Somehow I was aware that negative comments about anything, lunches served at school, teachers, band mates, grades, principals, sports etc gave me a weird, jolt in my tummy. A physical feeling of hopelessness that nudged at me to surrender my beliefs and follow blindly others in the dark. And, when I countered negative comments or situations with positive affirmations or emotions it miraculously lifted and things became better, clearer, and possible. So I invested in the muscle of optimism and I tested it through and through as I grew. If I can control my emotions in reactive situations and breathe my way into optimism during hectic times, I could use that to project the reality I truly desire whether I currently had the resources or not. Read more>>
Michelle Swist
I wasn’t always the optimistic person I am today. There was a time when waking up each morning filled me with dread. As a stay-at-home mom with a husband who traveled extensively for work, the weight of taking care of everyone felt overwhelming. Meanwhile, my husband Bob would wake up with a cheerful “GOOD MORNING! Let’s get this day started!” His positivity was infectious, and I couldn’t understand how he could be so happy first thing in the morning. I yearned to feel that way too. The turning point in my life came with a diagnosis of Trigeminal Neuralgia, a condition that brought episodes of excruciating pain shooting through the left side of my face. Even the mildest stimuli, like brushing my teeth or a slight breeze, felt like lightning strikes. This was a terrifying and challenging time for me. In my search for relief, I explored various medical treatments but also delved into alternative healing modalities and spiritual practices. During this journey, I discovered the transformative power of energy and the importance of mind, body, and spirit alignment. As I began my healing and spiritual growth journey, I experienced profound shifts within myself. I realized that healing wasn’t just about addressing physical symptoms but also the emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of our being. I began to appreciate the moments of peace and ease, no matter how fleeting. This gratitude practice became a cornerstone of my transformation. Read more>>
Judy Budd
When I was a young woman, I was golfing with a lady friend of mine. While on the golf course, I hit some rather poor shots and became upset with myself. Apparently my attitude was showing and my friend said to me, Judy, you get to decide every day what your attitude will be for the day. You can be happy and upbeat and people will want to be around you or you can be crabby and angry. If you choose to be crabby and angry, no one will want to be around you. So you decide when you get out of bed each morning, what type of day you want to have and what attitude you want. I choose to be happy, optimistic and look at the brighter side of things. It definitely makes for a much better day for yourself and those around you. When you realize that attitude is a decision, how can you be anything but optimistic and happy. Read more>>
Pamela Smith
My optimism in life comes from the Man upstairs, the Lord Jesus Christ. I’m a PK (preachers kid) and was raised in the church, and in the passage it states “You can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move.”. So with me knowing and having faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing is impossible. Read more>>
Katya Davydova
I was a newly minted seven-year-old when we made it. Born and raised in Uzbekistan during turbulent economic times–I have a clear memory of standing in a long food line with my mom as a kid–my smart parents knew we had to get out. So, we applied for a greencard visa lottery, and won, on our second attempt. This was our ticket to a better future. With less than 1% chance of winning, the American Dream was now close to being ours. We had hope. I was born a happy kid–smiling, laughing, playing. In high school, I joined the Optimists Club because the name sounded yellow and bright. Part of my human makeup was–and is–looking forward to things big and small: college, my first day of work in consulting (which turned out to be soul-sucking, so I was very optimistic about leaving), grad school, moving to Los Angeles, the next milestone and the next. (Ironically, if I’m being honest, this orientation and excitement towards the future is the other side of the coin of my anxiety about it, especially given today’s geopolitical climate.) Read more>>
Warren Hart
In life or in being creative, the lows always have an end. The light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how far, is still a light that can be reached. So, no matter the situation, I don’t think about a cup being half empty or half full. I’m just glad there is something in the cup.
When it comes to art, I constantly remind myself why I am doing this. It’s my emotional outlet. Not everyone will like it, and I am not better than many other artists. But I am having fun doing it, and I like my art. When a few individuals buy or complement my art, I focus on them, not on the ones it’s not for. Read more>>
The Mystified
To think about where we started a year ago, we started with no followers and no fan base. We have grown a lot since that point and not only as The Mystified but also as individuals. We are both full time college students and also have part-time jobs on the side and we have gone through a lot to keep the Mystified going, but it also helps us stay connected as friends through a busy time. We live in two separate states during the school year, so the Mystified keeps us connected and two best friends get to work together to create something they love and are proud of. Read more>>
Randy Randall
I like to think about the positive side of most outcomes. I have never benefited from being cynical. More times than not having an optimistic attitude with low expectations usually results in a happy outcome. Being optimistic is not the same as being delusional, you have to keep your expectations in check. But I find that I started off trying to be positive in high school just to see what would happen and I found that even if things didn’t always go my way, that having a good attitude and keeping my head up allowed me to get through tough situations. Read more>>
Rachel Cafferty
In a lot of ways, optimism is realism. Both personally and professionally, I have survived everything in my life so far, and will continue to. Even if it is painful. Even if it doesn’t go the way I expected or wanted. I will figure it out and I will be okay. There is always some good in every situation, even if it only feels like an iota. For me, choosing to reflect on reality with that lens – the one that scouts for the silver lining, the lesson, the growth – is empowering. Read more>>
Katie Royse Ginther
It definitely hasn’t always been easy to stay optimistic, but I’ve always figured out a way to spin a situation on its head. For example, after being a barista for nine years and seeing a lot of stressful situations over time and over different coffee shops I’ve boiled it down to: we’re just doing coffee. Sure, you could argue that we’re doing so much more than that, but that’s the “cheat code” my different coworkers and I have all always said to ourselves to lower the stakes and create a calmer environment for ourselves. In theatre, unfortunately I can’t say “it’s just theatre,” because anyone who works in any aspect of theatre will tell you that it takes an insane amount of time, money, effort, and a village to make it happen. My roommate and artistic partner, Izy Taylor, and I have both always worked to find a way to boil down situations in theatre that felt bigger and scarier than they really were to sound more simple. “We get to be silly for two hours!” “We get to sing hilarious songs onstage!” “We get to make art with our friends!” “We get to meet new SUPER COOL people!” Read more>>
MELISSA SLIGH
I would like to think that my optimism comes from my faith in knowing that any obstacle that comes my way will always be able to be resolved and/or turned into a learning lesson. If things feel like they aren’t going as I have planned them in my head, I just have to remember that it is ok to pivot the plan and simply “make it work”. I also know that a negative mindset does not help any stressful situation, it does the complete opposite! If you tell yourself you are going to fail or that everything is going to be bad, then that’s what will happen. When making cakes, I can never allow the self-doubt to win. Staying optimistic about a cake design will always help me to create my best work! Read more>>
Roshan Kumar Dash
My optimism comes from a journey fueled by resilience and opportunity. Growing up in India, I learned the importance of perseverance and resilience from my family and community. Moving to the United States for my studies at the University of Michigan opened doors to new opportunities and reinforced my belief in the power of manifestation. Transitioning from being a deeply pessimistic person to an optimist wasn’t easy for me. It meant making decisions that others might have considered unconventional or even crazy. I constantly questioned myself: What if things didn’t work out in the end? What if I was pursuing the wrong path? Could I handle my finances abroad? As I boarded a one-way flight from Mumbai, India to the US, these uncertainties weighed heavily on my mind—alongside countless other doubts. Read more>>
Ola Sher
My optimism comes from the strong women in my life, particularly my mom and grandmother. My grandmother always taught me, ‘Ola, no matter what happens, stay optimistic. Tears won’t change anything. Always smile, dance, and wear pearls and red lipstick by Chanel.’ My mom, a super strong woman, also showed me how to remain positive in any situation. So, I can say that my optimism is in my genes. Read more>>
Doug Snelson
I have been blessed to wake up every day with a sense of joy and new possibilities. The joy I feel gets me through those days where I have no control over an unhappy situation or a poor choice I have made. Read more>>
Mike Stanko
I believe it was embedded in me from birth. Thankfully , I come from a very happy. loving and supportive family. Very close. I married Karen, an artist herself, who is very positive, loving. creative and fun !! Throughout life I have always tried to surround myself with the same qualities. I certainly believe this makes life a lot more enjoyable. The less BS, the better !! Read more>>
Rob NorthSide
My optimism comes from having faith that all things will work themselves out. Believing that whatever it is I may be going through, it’s for a purpose! I’ve faced many challenges, problems and hard times in my life, from living in a crime ridden neighborhood, to witnessing a friend being murdered at 10, to an abusive father, to jail time. I never felt like things wouldn’t get better, I never felt “why me?” I always knew that I was strong and when I make it out of those (or current) situations that I would be stronger and better! Read more>>
Vivian Trujillo
In order to keep moving forward, I think it’s important to always believe that there is an answer or a solution to any problem. While not every solution may not be ideal, for whatever reason, it lets me know that I can persevere. I think my dad was a big part of that growing up, and it’s kind of funny I don’t think he’d market it as optimism and more so, you have to get through things and sometimes that means you don’t have time (or much time) to cry about it. But honestly it’s been so important for me in achieving my goals in life, because you can plan as much as you want and suddenly all your plans go out the window. There have definitely been moments where I really wanted to just cry because things just didn’t go according to plan or have been probably huge set backs. Stop-motion is so much of that, there’s a lot of ways to do something and tons of ways things can go wrong, but to keep going and to find the best ways to do them and see the final product come together is honestly the best feeling in the world. Seeing this multi-faceted discipline come together at any stage, every time has invigorated my optimism now more than ever. Read more>>
Crystal Espinosa
I once read somewhere that problems are inevitable, but misery is optional. From that moment on, I always viewed my problems as simple obstacles that I was destined to come across, but chose the only way to cross them was with a smile. My optimism was born out of the pages of books and my dad. Inside of the pages of books, I created opportunities in imagination that I would never have possessed if not for reading. My father is also a glass forever full kind of person who has encouraged as well as enabled me to constantly see life through an optimistic lens. Being optimistic comes naturally when you constantly remind yourself that nothing worth having comes easy. Read more>>
Danielle Moreland-Ochoa
Every time I think about that fact that I only have one life, one chance to have this experience, I can feel my brain rewiring. It’s a really good thing to remind myself of, because when I only have one shot, I have to at least be able to say I gave it everything I had. I want to spend most of my time doing things that really fill me up or else I’ll be the saddest old person and I plan on being happy til the day I die. Read more>>
