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?
Jim Li Lin Way
My family, my mom, the future and believe in what you can do. Read more>>
Jose Vidrio
“I had to grow up quickly, facing life’s challenges on my own. Over the years, losing people close to me taught me how valuable it is to find light even in tough times. I’ve come to believe that instead of being angry or frustrated at life, it’s better to see the good both in situations and in others. It’s all about perspective, learning from what we go through, and choosing to keep moving forward with hope. For me, optimism isn’t just a mindset; it’s a way of living and honoring the past while believing in the future.” Read more>>
Dana Fluegge
I grew up going to church all the time—Sundays and mid-week services without fail. It didn’t take long before I started volunteering as a teenager, pouring a lot of my time and energy into helping others, and it felt amazing. As I got older, I took part in mission trips. One that really stuck with me was Haiti, where we checked in on an orphanage we partnered with and helped out with a few projects. We spent a whole week with the kids, visited tent cities to hand out food, and joined in worship with local Christians. Read more>>
Anna Cameron
I suppose my optimism comes from everything I’ve been through. One of the most challenging periods of my life was when my family lost everything in a house fire. Coming away from that I could have gone quite dark, but I chose to be grateful for what was left and to see how resilient and beautiful my family was. I realized from a young age that things don’t matter, people matter. You can rebuild from nothing and choose every day to be the good in the world. Read more>>
Alexander Samson
My optimism comes from an inner space of gratitude which, in my experience, is the best prayer. This is something that I grapple with daily through martial arts, meditation, and visual art—things that require real focus and leave me walking away better than when I approached. Read more>>
Kierra Ready
Honestly, my optimism is rooted in my belief that the world is full of endless possibilities. Anything can happen—and I mean anything. That’s both terrifying and thrilling. It’s like every blank canvas or digital screen I start with—there’s potential for magic, disaster, or something in between. I also just love creating and experimenting. Trying new things fuels me because it’s a reminder that failure isn’t permanent, it’s just the pit stop before something amazing happens. Read more>>
Donyé Alane
My optimism and just about all my perspectives regarding life are all rooted in my Belief in God . As I started to develop my relationship with God , and started to understand the Bible and the purpose of Jesus walking this earth. I was able to develop and grow the optimism that I now have about life. Prior to cultivating my relationship and reading the Bible for myself I was not completely hopeless. However, I was not as optimistic about life as I have grown to be over the years. I was more so concerned about the time I had to get things done and really worried about timelines and falling behind the timelines that I had decided to subscribe to. However through my relationship and understanding of God’s intentions for His children. Read more>>
Sue Ryan
Throughout my life, my dad was constantly asking me questions and teaching me lessons. He’d say: “I want to teach you how to think so you’ll know what to do when I’m not here for you.” and “I want to teach you how to be safe in case I’m not here to help you.”. His questions were based on curiosity – never judgment. He wanted me to reflect on each type of experience in my life to learn what it had for me. Read more>>
Lexi Goldi
Optimism isn’t always easy, especially in this industry. It’s something I’ve had to choose every single day. There have been moments when it would have been easier to give up, to let the doubts and the challenges win. But every time I feel that pull, I remind myself why I started. Read more>>
Ian Iringan
My optimism has always been a cornerstone of who I am. I’ve found joy in connecting with people effortlessly, forming bonds across any group or setting. It wasn’t until my time in Phoenix, that I truly understood how to harness this optimism in a meaningful way. My mentor introduced me to a simple yet transformative mantra: “PMA every day”—Positive Mental Attitude. Each morning, he recited this to me, not just as words, but as a mindset to carry into every moment. It didn’t take long for this philosophy to take root in my own life, and the impact was immediate. Read more>>
Taylor Clarke
Having a positive outlook when things become challenging is a learned behavior. We watch the reactions from those we love at an early age. We navigate challenges and how we learn to overcome them shapes us. It becomes how we cope with new challenges and it comes with an internal voice that whispers ‘this is hard, but you’re capable’. More importantly it comes with an intrinsic belief system that it will be OK. No one has to tell you it will-the belief is within you. This is true optimism and I can’t imagine living any other way. Read more>>
Eric Wong
Life experiences, a natural mindset and conscious choice to see things on the bright side. Read more>>
Chase Allington
My optimism comes from a deep belief that we all have the power to make a positive impact in the world. Growing up in Alaska, I was raised in a modest family where integrity and the importance of relationships were emphasized. These values taught me that no matter where you start, you can create something meaningful with the right mindset. Read more>>
Helen Corveleyn
Pessimism is heavy. It’s a burden that takes energy for me to uphold, making my “Default Setting”: optimism. As a conservationist, this can be a difficult default. As we say “Life is a Journey”- but on this journey there are ups and downs and roadblocks we encounter. When faced with these roadblocks, I drink from the well of youthful optimism and look to children for hope. As a lifelong educator, I made a conscious decision not to choose Environmental Policy as an occupation, a detour from my original plan in college. Too often in the policy realm of decision making optimism is condemned to the “rose-colored glasses” folks. Looking through the eyes of our youth in environmental education helps me to distill down what is truly important. Children see the world through unburdened eyes, and when our well dips below the waterline, sometimes their view is what it takes to replenish that source of nourishing hope. Read more>>
Bonnie Lippincott
Optimism is a gift in perspective. This question makes me remember how, growing up, my dad used to teach this concept at stoplights . He would say, “red lights always turn green for me.” This is perspective 101! Optimism comes from mindset (that the world is a kind place) experiences (past learnings or successes), and gratitude. When you look for examples of how great your life is, they become more evident! Read more>>
Tiffany Hemingway
I might be chronically optimistic. You could possibly theorize that I am simply living up to my name. My name is Tiffany Joy Hemingway. My growing up years were tough; but mama taught us how to live in joy no matter the circumstance. No costume for school? No problem, let’s make one. We are out of the normal ingredients? Well, there’s a substitute for those. Read more>>
Raymond Lapietra
My spiritual beliefs. Read more>>
Keilan Morrison
My optimism comes from living with a single parent home and see my mom overcome obstacle after obstacle to provide a great life for me and my brothers. Read more>>
Dodo_urbain (aka Urban Naps)
My optimism comes from living radically. Being radical means being concerned by the profound nature of things. The Dodo_Urbain (Urban Naps) project seeks to expose what society has conditioned us to ignore or brush a side. By pasting this sprawling figure on hostile architecture or where there is homeless activity, the Dodo_Urbain (Urban Naps) project highlights the ongoing struggles of marginalized populations and the increasing issue of homelessness in the urban landscape. Dodo_Urbain (Urban Naps) is a direct response to the social issue and seeks to disrupt normative processes by creating new narratives within public spaces that question social order. Read more>>
Lisa Lu
Love. My optimism comes from love. I love, love and I don’t think I’ll ever change that part of myself or give up on finding true love. Read more>>
Lisa Pellegrene
As long as I can remember, ever since I was a child, I focused on (and still do) what brings me joy and what makes my heart sing, so to speak. I have also learned, and I have explained this to others, that when we focus on the hopeful path and the blessings, we see more of that. What we focus on we will see more of, in my experience. I think when we count our blessings, we can find that this is just the start of so many blessings that we may not be able to see, that will come our way when we believe in them. I’ve gone through difficult times in my life, and this is how I can explain this… If we can only see a sliver of hope (and there is much more than we can often see in all reality) and we proceed in the direction of the hopeful path, we can see and one day realize that the hopeful path expands…we will see much good when we choose to believe in the good, It is the whole concept of taking leaps of faith too, when we have something good that we want to accomplish, we may not see the entire staircase at the onset, but taking the first step toward the good we want to accomplish is how we can see it come to fruition. Read more>>
Éss
I think people around me truly believe that I am blindly optimistic, haha. I just believe in the powers that be. In the divine. I believe they listen to your heart and your desires. I believe that if something was placed upon you, it was done so for a reason, and who are you to doubt something much larger and grandiose? I was reading (or watching something, I can’t remember) about the self-esteem movement in the 70s/80s and how the government and psychologists began to encourage parents to tell their children only good things about themselves and teachers to shape exercises and education in the classroom around boosting the self esteem. The thought, of course, was that if people felt better about themselves this would produce a generation of more ‘successful’ people. Read more>>
Don Finklea, Jr
My optimism comes from two incredible sources: my faith in God and my fantastic mother, Mrs. Coretha Finklea. I was raised in the church, and thanks to my parents, I have a strong Christian foundation. My unwavering faith has helped me overcome what felt like impossible odds time and time again. Each challenge I’ve faced has been an opportunity to grow a little more resilient. Over time, that resilience builds, and when life throws similar obstacles my way, I find I’m able to handle them a bit better than before. Read more>>
Eric Strenger
My optimism comes from the deep belief that we are all capable of more than we think. When Claudia, my wife and I opened Strenger Studio, we didn’t have a clear blueprint or guaranteed success ahead of us. What we did have was a shared passion for creativity and the desire to build something meaningful that would bring people together. That belief—faith in ourselves and in the process—has carried us through every challenge. Read more>>
David Lamotte
The truth is that I’m not always optimistic, but I am fiercely dedicated to hope. Those two words are often used interchangeably, but I see them as very different things. Of course, words have many meanings, but in my own personal lexicon, ‘optimism’ is a kind of prediction — looking at a situation, and deciding that the odds look good for things to work out alright. It’s evaluative, and basically passive. Read more>>
Qiuxiang Liu
Art and painting continuously nurturing my bright and optimistic side. One of my favourite tutor asked in a philosophy lecture: do you think you are a borned painter? I think I was born to paint. Because I have to do it, and it makes me feel that I have survived from life. Without it, I would feel that I have nothing in life. In addition, the love and support from family and friends is also important. Read more>>
Brian Bl
My optimism comes from the results obtained after seeing what can be achieved with a focused mind and faith. Read more>>
Alex Grand
I have a bit of a compulsion for seeing the silver lining. I hope for the best. I believe people can change and anything is possible. Faith is a core value of mine. There’s a big part of me that believes that’s the only real way to unlock some of the possibilities that seem unlikely. So part of it is practical, but another part is selfish. I’m fully aware of all the harsh realities of the world. I probably spend an above average amount of time every day consuming news. I just don’t want to stay there. It’s just easier to move on with my day or fall asleep at night if I tell myself there’s reason to have hope. Read more>>
Cheryl Bever
It’s funny—I’ve never really thought of myself as an optimistic person, especially during my teenage years (because, honestly, who is? 😂). But looking back, I realize I’ve always had a spark of optimism, even when it wasn’t always the healthiest kind. I once found myself in an emotionally abusive relationship. Instead of letting it bring me down, I clung to the belief that “things will get better when…” That optimism, though well-intentioned, kept me stuck for longer than I’d like to admit. It wasn’t until I had my son that my entire perspective on life shifted. Suddenly, I wasn’t just living for myself; I had this new, tiny person depending on me. That was the moment I saw my situation clearly and made the changes I needed for both of us. Read more>>
Andrew Hosler
By surrounding myself with optimistic people – members of The _____ Experiment, the composers we work with, and everyone else! Read more>>
Cameo Irons
I am known for being a very optimistic and smiley person. I like to think that my joy is contagious and helps others smile too. When asked where my optimism comes from, I know I got it from my grandmother Elsie. She taught me from a young age, to look at the world through eyes of gratitude and to appreciate each day. So often the world is negative, we complain about everything and forget to be thankful for life itself. She helped me to see that when we face obstacles we take care of what we can, and keep going because life always goes on. I’ve noticed as I’ve got older my optimistic outlook is inspired by the joy I can supply for other people. Being able to make someone else smile and see the “Bright Side” of life with me, is what brings out my happiness. Read more>>
Irina Chernikova
My optimism comes from the love and support of my wife and family—they inspire me to see the best in every situation. Read more>>
Christina Ness
My optimism is learned optimism, and I think it’s a mindset that anyone can train themselves to have. When I first started off doing startups and working in the entertainment industry I spent a lot of time looking at why things couldn’t or wouldn’t work, mostly due to nerves. A mentor and close friend of mine pulled me aside one day and taught me that both excitement and anxiety trigger the same part of our brain, and encouraged me to try to slightly shift my mindset towards excitement re: what could go right. From there, I started looking for the good in things and also looking at things to be grateful for each day. Read more>>
Aaron Perez
Optimism, in my view, is one of the most fundamental requirements for success in both business and life. It doesn’t come from external circumstances or possessions but from within—a choice we make every single day. For me, optimism is rooted in being honest and comfortable with myself and others. Happiness isn’t measured in numbers or by the things we accumulate; it comes from living authentically and maintaining meaningful connections. Read more>>
Joshua Romo
I have always been a pretty optimistic person when it comes to my work, even on tasks that tend not to be my favorite. Looking back, I would have to say that it largely stems from an enjoyment in challenge and defying odds, and my faith. Growing up with brothers and my cousins, everything was a competition. I usually fell short, being younger and not the most athletic, For better or worse, I grew up with the mindset that less was expected of me. While at face value, that seems bad, it set up my mindset for when I found something that I really loved to do, and that was music. Read more>>
Alex Lisette
“Those are the little builders in my body…. they fix my heart when I feel sad.” – 7 Year old in Art Therapy session 1 week after witnessing a shooting outside her South Chicago community art studio. “I’m a sex trafficking victim. I need resources and rehabilitation, not incarceration” – 16 year old revolutionary incarcerated in IL prison. “Let’s add a DJ booth to the farm!” – high schooler from Austin co-creating a mini sustainable farm made from recycled materials. Read more>>
Jenny Ollikainen
I feel like my optimism comes from cultivating a strong spiritual practice/view and understanding of the world. I spent many years being very terrified of the world, I am audhd and so I experience emotions more intensely, this has been very challenging and misunderstood by many people including family and friends. Read more>>
Aryn Morris
My optimism is rooted in my faith in Jesus Christ, a hope that was made through life’s challenges. There have been seasons of disappointment, and uncertainty where the weight felt unbearable. Yet, in those moments, I turned to God’s promises, like Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.” Faith didn’t remove my struggles, but it gave me the strength to face them with peace and joy that defy logic. Read more>>
Charlie Hernandez
My optimism is deeply rooted in my family—my wife, Fabiana, and our two children are the main fuel for everything I do. Growing up in a very positive environment taught me the importance of approaching life with resilience and a positive outlook, but it’s my family that truly drives me to keep that spirit alive every day. Read more>>
