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.
Katii McKinney
I am the youngest of 3 children. When I was 15 years old my eldest brother died in a car accident. He was the social butterfly out of all of us. I always saw him smiling or even making jokes to lighten up the room. I would say my optimism came from that experience of loss of a light in my life. Read more>>
Mauricio Villanueva
From the fact that no-one ask me to sing, dance, or to be a performer. I chose to be one, even-though as an artist from the beginning I had to face reality and many times I did not meet the standards to be one, I knew the only way I would achieve my goals was keeping my head straight, focus and not let negativity stand on my way. Read more>>
Elizabeta Vidovic, Kathryn Michelle, and Izabela Vidovic
As independent filmmakers, our optimism comes from our creativity. Even when we aren’t feeling 100%, the art itself has the ability to lift us out of that and bring us back to a brighter reality. We’re also lucky to be a tight knit team, so we always have each other to fall back on. That combination of artistic expression and a reliable support system makes it easier to maintain a positive attitude. Read more>>
Naomie
I find that optimism is a frame of mind. Being in spaces where individuals around you also take on that mindset helps to enforce the behavior. I have found myself in many spaces with like minded business professionals that have helped me to tap in to my optimism when it comes to my services, products, and overall my brand! Read more>>
John Riesen
I’ve always been known as an optimist. I have always tried my best to find the beauty, light, and positive outcome in the many situations life can bring and feel that most things we experience are a matter of perspective– even the darkest of situations can birth beautiful, deep, growth in ones life. Then we can use what we’ve learned to share light, or bring light to find the way forward, and use what we’ve learned or experienced for others and to affect the world positively. Read more>>
David Fakunle
My optimism, despite all that is occurring in the world, comes primarily from the fact that I am still in the world. I am grateful for the understanding I learned about what is most important in life, and I see my purpose as reminding others about that too. So far, I have been right far more times than I have been wrong…honestly, I have never been wrong. That tells me all I need to know. Read more>>
Johnny Forte
My optimism comes from the joy. The joy of what I believe in. In what I’m trying to achieve. Achieving this goal is essential! I will have a successful future, Read more>>
Kandra Jones
My optimism came from a place of healing childhood wounds and practicing positive self talk to overcome all the negative thoughts I had about myself. With some good therapy, hard emotional work and help from God, I began a road of healing. I created a practice, which has now become a habit, to see the good. When I feel jealous of someone else, I stop, take a breath and tell myself 3 positive things about me. Read more>>
Stacy Markow
I became a full blown optimist during my sales career. I was a wine rep, and I would often have to take winemakers from Italy and France around Dallas to visit my accounts and taste wines with buyers. I would stack my calendar full of appointments and events to make the most of their limited time in my market. Read more>>
Alexander Martin
My optimism comes from have a deep belief if what I am put on this earth to do. As. a someone in media, knowing that I bring to life the visions of others and have the ability to move people with my words, allows me to feel optimistic about the path that I am destined for. I took some time to for me to place myself in this type of mental space, but when I arrived, there was no turning back. Read more>>
Mehgan Iman Dlux
My optimism comes from years and years of trauma, self-doubt, and constantly living in fear of what everyone else says, or thinks about you. Read more>>
Allen C. Gardner
I feel like my optimism is a choice that I gradually made as a kid, and I’ve continued to protect and reinforce that viewpoint ever since. I think it comes down to how I’ve always wanted to perceive people and the world and my relationship to all of it. I always want to be as open and loving and hopeful as possible, and for me the only way to really embody those qualities is to be optimistic. Read more>>
Louise Sturcken
My optimism comes from my mother. Also, spirituality and a daily gratitude practice helps me to remain grateful and present for all the gifts that exist in my life currently. I’m a deep believer that any problem can be solved and any wound can be healed. We have a choice everyday how to use our minds to manifest our future and present selves. Some people think that in order to believe it you have to see it. I believe that you have to believe it to see it. There is good in everyone and everything and it’s our primary purpose to foster and receive gifts. Read more>>
Heather Rymer
I do think I was born with optimism running through my veins. Throughout all my experiences in my life, I have always been someone who looked on the bright side of a situation. I believe if there is an issue – let’s talk it out, vent, get upset and then let’s move on! I need to find the reason behind the issue and then think of the possible ways to fix it. Read more>>
Danielle Sutton
That saying “ignorance is bliss” has accompanied some initial, presumptuous thoughts as to why I am such an optimistic person. Introverted, homeschooled through the teen years, uncomfortable in the limelight, goofy, love of laughter, just an overall average person that can easily blend in with the crowd…”Danielle’s on her little, fluffy cloud again.” And I certainly am! It’s peaceful there…less worrisome…a safe harbor. Read more>>
Fansu Njie
It’s a by-product of two significant components of my life: the art of filmmaking and my background in martial arts when I was a teenager. Read more>>
Kristal Kent
Optimism is really a state of mind. This does not mean everything that happens in life is good, nor can a person be happy all the time. Because life is life. However, I try to be forward thinking and reframe my mindset when life throws those metaphorical lemons my way. Read more>>
Joseph Drolshagen
My optimism comes from a long history of struggling with the inability of being optimistic. Growing up learning struggle, I carried that same conditioning into my adult life. In my early 20’s I realized that if something came easy to me, I thought I didn’t deserve it. That was a clue to me that something wasn’t right. Read more>>
Viktoria Tabak
I attribute my optimism to the relationship I have with a God of my own understanding. Growing up. I was denied the opportunity to explore spirituality as I saw fit. This is an extremely personal choice; the most personal choice, truly, one can make. It is the most important relationship in my life today. When I can put my ego & fear aside, I am able to stay in gratitude. Read more>>
Natalie Martinez
I very recently read that “Desire, like learning or community, is a way of opening oneself up to influence.” Read more>>
Jené Marie
My optimistic mindset is the root of all things positive in my life. Knowing that everything happens for a reason allows me to lean into all my trust in God & have faith in my future. Read more>>
Jason Damico
I think this is a great question especially because throughout my life, I’ve always been more of a “realist” so to speak. Read more>>
Kitty Norton
As a travel writer and film composer, my optimism is firmly rooted in the diverse experiences and encounters that I’ve had over the years. You see, it’s really a product of my travels, where I’ve had the privilege of meeting a multitude of people from different cultures, each with their unique stories. These encounters have opened my eyes to the resilience, creativity, and adaptability of the human spirit, regardless of the challenges they face. Read more>>
Heewon Jeong
What does optimism mean? As a self-proclaimed optimist, I can tell that it is not about just believing that everything will always go well in the end. We are all aware that life has its ups and downs, and there are moments when we will feel disappointed. Read more>>
Laura Jane Jones
I am choosing this question because i recently had a student or “mentee” ask me this same question. I am now on staff at the Diaz Music Institute as the vocal director. This is an incredible organization dedicated to teaching young people music and in the genre of latin jazz and jazz. It is spearheaded by grammy nominated educator Jose Diaz. Read more>>
Jeff Couch
I believe my optimism comes from a deep fear of failure, which is held internal, it’s not what others think, it’s how I feel about how I am doing. Read more>>
Jonathan Dritto
My optimism definitely came from getting my ass handed to me while playing this wild game of life. Some people are born being optimistic but mine was birthed through the fire of my entrepreneurial journey. The embodiment of hindsight through it all for sure helped me navigate the ebb and flows of life. Hopefulness and confidence about the future is a hard mindset to embody when things aren’t going as planned. Read more>>
Hannah Brown
I will be quite honest; if you had asked me this question 5 years ago, I would’ve told you I wasn’t very optimistic. Life will hand you lots of struggles, victories, ups and downs– and it’s ultimately up to you how you choose to handle each situation. Over the last 5 years I’ve had incredible highs and some serious lows… you have to have some of each to realize how beautiful life is and to take everything in stride. Read more>>
Joe Marcy
As leaders, we must believe in our future. It’s our responsibility to shape it. Read more>>
Diane Belgrod
I’ve always been an optimist. First off, I’m a Sagittarius so it’s impossible to not be an optimist. I’ve tried and it doesn’t work. I have Jupiter to thank for that. Until now though I’ve never really thought about why I am an optimist, and where my optimism comes from. Read more>>
Cincy Cocoa Bloggers Created by Rebecca Shakespeare Armstrong
Our optimism comes from meeting and working with like-minded women who want to help empower one another. Read more>>
Shaynie Rhoads
I’ve always been an optimist. I have my days, but it’s in my overall nature to face everything with confidence and poise. I won’t let the fear of disappointment drag me down. I’d rather fail at trying something than never try at all. Read more>>
Jennifer Van Heeckeren
Honestly, my optimism has changed over the years and I find it comes from knowing more of who I really am: faulted, ridiculous and willing to keep going, even if it means switching gears. Read more>>
Prod.elt
My optimism is comes from my current lifestyle, I live in Ukraine in the city of Kharkiv, which is constantly bombarded by Russian missiles and every time I go to bed or read messages about the departure of missiles, I don’t know if the missile will hit my house or I will stay alive. Because of such a life, I realized that I need to enjoy any little things and live every day so when I go to bed I can be sure that the day was not in vain and I do my best to achieve my goals and not regret that I didn’t do something from the planned. I understand that I can die at any moment and therefore I live every day so as not to regret anything. Read more>>
Shay Chenette
Where do I get my source of optimism from? From gratitude! Seriously, transitioning my thoughts to being mindfully grateful for everything that I have instead of anything that may be lacking has changed the quality of my day to day life and stress level. An attitude of gratitude brings more moments to be grateful for in your -physical reality. Read more>>
Gary Goldstein
Look, if you’re going into a creative endeavor, you have to be an optimist. You have to believe that you will succeed in a field, whether it be writing, directing, producing, acting, and so on, that’s filled–packed–with talented, passionate people, deeply driven people all vying for a limited number of job openings and production opportunities. When I became a professional screenwriter I realized that I was much more of an optimist than I’d ever thought. Read more>>
Jae Henderson
I battled with depression in high school. I didn’t realize that was what it was I just knew that something wasn’t right. My mother battled with depression and schizophrenia as well but refused to seek treatment. Although it wasn’t serious. She was able to function and provide for us her outlook on life could be negative and unrealistic at times. Read more>>
Gaelle Berruel
Being optimistic is part of my DNA. Read more>>
Susan Haber
My optimism stems from a deep passion for dogs, a commitment to their well-being, and a belief in the transformative power of natural products. Dogs are not just pets; they are cherished members of our families, deserving the best care and nutrition we can provide. This belief fuels my drive to create a healthy and natural dog product company from scratch. Read more>>
Erika Plackowski
Operating in gratitude helps me be optimistic. I can easily dwell on the potential clients who ghost me or the numerous bridal shops and boutiques who don’t want to collaborate. I learned to put things into perspective and know that rejection is God’s protection. Read more>>
Alicia Stemper
I’ve always been a dreamer. I was the kid with my head in the clouds. My imagination was wild and I could easily get lost in it and drown out the rest around me. Owning my business, I can see some of those same qualities that I had as a child. Only now, I can turn it into focus. Read more>>
Madelin Berry
My optimism comes from God. I think it’s important to remove yourself from the situation and trust the one who is in control. In and of myself, there isn’t much I can do. I’m just a regular person. But if I put my faith and trust in the way maker, I have the confidence of knowing that this situation is only temporary and things will get better. Read more>>
