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optimism

Joy

More than optimism: How to cultivate the world-changing power of hope

Optimism is a mindset. Hope is an action-oriented skill—and one that can be honed.

Photo by Andres Ayrton/Pexels

Hope is a skill.

Hope can be hard to find in tough times, and even when we catch a glimmer of hope, it can be hard to hold onto. And yet, the ability to remain hopeful in the face of hardship and adversity is an example of the human spirit we've seen displayed time and time again.

But what exactly is hope? How does hope differ from optimism, and how can we cultivate more of it in our lives?

Cynics may see hope as naive at best and as blind idealism at worst, but according to Thema Bryant, PhD, former president of the American Psychological Association, hope is really about staying open to the possibilities.

“Hope isn’t a denial of what is, but a belief that the current situation is not all that can be,” Bryant said, according to the APA. You can recognize something’s wrong, but also that it’s not the end of the story.”

People often think of hope and optimism as the same thing, but there are some key differences between them in the social psychology world. Optimism is a state of mind that sees the future through a positive lens and expects that it will be better than the present. Hope, on the other hand, is action-oriented. It involves having a goal for that positive future and making a concrete plan to move toward it.

“We often use the word ‘hope’ in place of wishing, like you hope it rains today or you hope someone’s well,” said Chan Hellman, PhD, a professor of psychology and founding director of University of Oklahoma's Hope Research Center. “But wishing is passive toward a goal, and hope is about taking action toward it.”

That sense of personal agency is the key difference between someone who is optimistic and someone who is hopeful, as the authors of the study, "Great expectations: A meta-analytic examination of optimism and hope," Gene M. Alarcon, Nathan A. Bowling and Steven Khazon wrote:

"Simply put, the optimistic person believes that somehow—either through luck, the actions of others, or one’s own actions—that his or her future will be successful and fulfilling. The hopeful person, on the other hand, believes specifically in his or her own capability for securing a successful and fulfilling future."

Both hope and optimism require a belief in a better future, but hope puts some of the power to make it happen into our own hands. And while hope and optimism are closely linked, they don't necessarily have to go together. As Arthur Brooks has pointed out, a person can be a hopeless optimist, believing in a better future but feeling helpless to do anything to create it, and a person can also be a hopeful pessimist who takes actions to improve things but still sees the future negatively.

Ideally, one would strive toward being an hopeful optimist. Why? Well, for one, both hope and optimism are good for our health, according to studies done on them. And secondly, hope is what motivates us to act. Without hope, we have a whole lot of people wishing for change but not actually doing anything about it.

But how do you become more hopeful if it doesn't come naturally? How do you hone hope?

An article on Psyche by Emily Esfahani Smith shared study findings on how to cultivate hope, which includes:

- Changing the story you tell yourself about adversity, remembering that hard times are temporary

- Focusing on the things you have control over, like your routines, habits and the way you treat other people

- Reframing obstacles as challenges to overcome rather than immovable limitations

- Looking to your past successes instead of your past failures

- Asking yourself what you hope for and then continuing to answer until you find an attainable goal

- Envisioning that goal and mapping out a plan to move towards it

Being hopeful about your own future may feel like a different beast than having hope in humanity's future, but we all have a role to play in creating a better world and hope is the driver strives to make it happen. As Augustine of Hippo allegedly said, "Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are." If we find ourselves angry at the way things are, we need to find the courage to act. The question of what actions to take may remain, but we need the belief and conviction to act that hope provides in order to figure it out.

Most importantly to remember is that hope is a choice. It may not come naturally or easily to everyone, but hope is something we can choose to nurture in ourselves as well as encourage in others.

From Your Site Articles

hope

Joy

People reveal the pivotal moments that restored their faith in humanity

We need to hear these kinds of stories.

Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash

We all need reminders of the beauty of humanity.

Looking around at the current state of affairs in the world can quickly lead to feelings of sadness or despair, especially when news media primarily focuses on the worst of humanity.

While we can't pretend that the serious problems we face don't exist, we also need to balance our perspective with reminders that people are more good than not, and that human atrocity is the exception, not the rule. We have countless examples of human beings being wonderful to one another in ways large and small, but those stories rarely make the headlines.

Part of our mission at Upworthy is to show that people are a force for good, and what better way to do that than to share people's stories of kindness, hope and faith in one another?

For all of its pitfalls, social media can be a great place to find those kinds of real-life stories, so we asked our Instagram audience to share a moment that restored their faith in humanity and people generously delivered. Here are some responses that might just restore your faith in humanity as well.

"Stuck in Thailand during the 2006 coup with my wife and our two-year-old in a carrying backpack, airline would not accept credit card to purchase last flight out of the country, ATMs were not working to get cash, after 30 minutes a random Indian man and his family stepped forward and handed us an envelope full of all the cash we needed to purchase two airline tickets from Thailand to Singapore. He did not want or expect a payback (we eventually did)." – joshinsd

"We awoke to a 5.7 earthquake in 2020 in our old historic Victorian home. The earthquake blew out our foundation. Everyone on our street was affected. My husband and I had retired. We ended up rebuilding which took almost two years with Covid and supply chain issues. Two houses down we have a lovely family with two young boys. They came up with an idea on their own to empty out their savings and insisted in giving it to us to help us. While we did not need the money, it was the gesture of sacrificing their hard earned money at such a young age, 8 and 10 that touched us deeply. With young people in our world with hearts such as this, we will see great things happening." – gmholm

"My boy wanted to play with a stick that an older girl had. She was so kind & gave him the stick. He took it, then went back to her, broke it half, & gave her half. I watched it all from the side & held back tears. Look to the children - they will show you pure kindness 🤍" – ripottsy

"I recently took my daycare littles on a library outing. One of my two year olds was looking for a Paw Patrol book. A sweet little girl (about 5 years old) overhead and dug into her book bag and gave it to the two year old. In return he offered her one of his books❤️. Such a simple, yet meaningful, act of such pure sweet innocence!" – richelleamyd

"I was wrangling my kids into their car seats for a trip to the grocery store one day. I put my wallet on the bumper of my car as I was walking from one side of my car so the other trying to get them buckled. I got in my car and left my house, totally forgetting to grab my wallet. I realized my mistake when I got to the grocery store. I retraced my route, but had no luck finding my wallet. It had cash, credit cards, gift cards, and my family’s social security cards. I basically kept all my important things in there (it was a big zip up day planner kind of wallet). I went home and just cried and cried. I was on the computer trying to figure out how to order replacement social security cards when there was a knock on my door. A very sweet man who didn’t speak English very well was standing there with my wallet. I immediately embraced him and said, “oh THANK YOU!” He was a bit taken aback and said, “oh…you sad?” I will forever be grateful that that man took time out of his day to do the honest thing. It would have been so easy for him to either ignore my wallet, or take it. I try to remember him when I see an opportunity to be honest." – julieletner

"My grandma passed, and at her funeral, I was telling a friend of hers how hard it would be to return to her home after her interment. For as long as I could remember, Grandma had waited on the front porch for me whenever I came to visit. Later that afternoon, when we did return to Grandma’s, her friend was standing on the porch waiting, just as Grandma always had. 'I didn’t want you to have to return to an empty porch after laying her to rest,' he kindly explained. His thoughtful gesture makes me tear up whenever I remember it. – lynnecook77

"I had just lost my little sister to suicide. i was in deep grief and had not eaten for a few days. i was craving a burger so i went to The Counter. sat there. cried the entire time and tried to get that burger down. apparently Two men in UPS uniforms were on their lunch break and when i asked for the bill. my server told me that those ups guys bought my lunch. i never even saw them there. it was the first time i didn’t feel completely alone during the darkest days of my grief. 💕" – clarkaosb

"I was 20+, sitting in a church and crying very hard. A very elderly woman came up, sat next to me, said it was going to be ok. She just sat there holding my hand, in silence. I could see her looking at me and well up. A moment full of love, tolerance and empathy for a total stranger. It changed me." – atirufo

"We had pizza delivered once and my 3 year old son wanted to give the delivery guy the tip. He handed it to the guy and he asked if he had a piggy bank and then he gave my son a $1 back to put in his bank ❤️" – kgwhit_

"I was sitting with my friend at Balboa Park and one of the vendors just walked over and handed us each a large slice of watermelon. It was a hot day and it was just so generous and kind." – lorimitchellart

"A man stopped his car in the middle of a very busy intersection, to get out and help a family of geese get across the street. It was a sight that my description does no justice." – christollbertson

"A few years ago I was at the vet’s office with my dog. I overheard a guy telling the vet that he couldn’t afford his dog’s surgery. The vet told him that he was not going to let his dog die and that he would perform the surgery even if he couldn’t pay him back." – norms1111

"I work at a grocery store as a cashier and one time the food stamp card system was down in NYS. People were having issues all day and everybody was getting understandably frustrated. This man was trying to pay but of course it wasn’t working. I asked him if he had another way to pay and he said no. The lady behind him handed him some cash and told him not to worry about it. She bought a week’s worth of his groceries, no big fuss made about it. Almost made me cry on a very tricky day❤️ – paytonncotter

"When we lived in Iran, we would escape to a green city (no fly zone) when the war would get really active. During one of these times, we had to drive over the mountain in the snow and fog (dead of winter) and with my Mum sick with bronchitis. When we got to the other side, my father and uncle decided to rent a hotel so Mum could rest, but we were in a random town and didn’t know what was around. Eventually, around 2.30 am, we came across what looked like a motel and went inside.

"There was one man there. He gave us a dingy, tiny room to share, looked at my Mum a couple of times, then quietly told my father to take her to hospital (this is all relayed by my Mum. I remember bits and pieces only). My uncle and dad decided to take her while my three-year-old sister and I stayed back. Once they got to hospital, doctors pulled my mum aside and asked first if she had been abused or was in danger (because of how sick she was, they thought she might have been drugged or beaten and had internal bleeding), then once she confirmed she was safe, they took her inside and started treating her. While they were there, the man sat with my sister and me and told us to go to sleep. My sister fell asleep straight away, but I couldn’t, so he sat with me and reassured me everything would be okay. He asked about school, what my favourite subject was. Normal talk during scary times.

"I fell asleep at some point, and when I woke up, my father and uncle were bringing Mum back into the room. The motel owner made a pot of hot tea and brought bread, butter, jam and cheese for us to eat. For those who don’t know, most of us could only shop with vouchers and coupons during the war (rations), so this man was literally sharing his food with us during a time when food was scarce to begin with. Around 5.00 the next evening, we went to pay that man, and he put his hand to his heart and said he couldn’t accept our payment. No matter how much my family insisted, this man refused and said he was honoured to have helped us and to please be safe on our way to the green zone. I am an Atheist, but truly believe this man to be an angel on earth. Kindness is a currency you can never forget." – lucid_nomad

If you enjoyed these stories, you'll love Upworthy's upcoming book, "GOOD PEOPLE: Stories from the Best of Humanity," which includes 101 stories of human decency, kindness and compassion. Pre-order now on Amazon.

GOOD PEOPLE: Stores From the Best of Humanity

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As a participant in the Amazon Associates affiliate program, Upworthy may earn proceeds from items purchased that are linked to this article, at no additional cost to you.

From Your Site Articles

best of humanity

Pop Culture

What is in its 'golden age' but not enough people know about it?

There's so much good out there if you know where to look.

Canva

From astronomy to knitting, some fields of human endeavor are having a heyday.

When you peruse the news headlines or dive into discussions on current events on social media, it's pretty easy to feel despondent. Doom and gloom sells, unfortunately, and our natural negativity bias that's meant to protect us can be overworked by a 24/7 bombardment of humanity's challenges.

There is an anecdote to all of that, though: Curating and cultivating the good. Sometimes it's just knowing where to look to find examples of problems being solved, discoveries being made, innovation taking huge leaps and other evidence that humans are moving our collective life forward in incredible ways.

Someone on Reddit asked, "What is currently in its 'Golden age,' but not enough people know about it?" and thousands of people responded. Reading through the answers is an enlightening and uplifting glimpse of things we might not personally be involved with but are happy to see having a heyday. Like, who wouldn't like to know that we're in a golden age of astronomy and paleontology. Space and dinosaurs? It's like realizing our 5-year-old selves' ideal future.

Here are some of the top things that are experiencing a "golden age":

Astronomy

The amount that scientists have learned about the final frontier in recent decades is mind-blowing.

"Astronomy is currently experiencing a golden age. It has changed radically in the last 30ish years. Think on this, if you are 30 + years old, you were born into a world that wasn't sure if planetary systems were rare or common. We now know that nearly all stars are likely to have planets. We know of 5000+ exoplanets. Mars was not considered a place we could find signs of life by most. The generation of spacecraft exploring Mars since the year 2000 changed that. Now some argue that discovering signs of past life on Mars is a matter of when, not if. We found multiple worlds in our solar system with liquid water oceans. This is just scratching the surface. New technologies like JWST promise to keep the momentum for the foreseeable future." – Slimjerry

"A hundred years ago, we were debating if the Milky Way was the entire universe. It’s crazy to think about how far astronomy and cosmology have come. And it’s not just huge existential topics either. Galaxy evolution has been completely reversed in the past 20 years. Elliptical aka 'early type' galaxies are the end result of mergers of spiral and irregular aka 'late types.'" – snoogans235

"42 year old, you're not even doing the scope justice. When I was a little kid, it's not that we didn't know if planetary systems were rare or common, it's that we didn't know if there were other planetary systems! It was just an assumption we extrapolated from the fact that THIS star had them, a statistical contrivance! It could have just as easily proven true that our sun was profoundly weird, the only one this happened with. Think about that next time you're watching some classic B sci fi flick about going to another planet; that was a MUCH bigger leap in logic when that film was made than it is now." –Of_Mice_And_Meese

Knitting and Crocheting

The fiber arts have been around a lonnnng time, but it's never been a better time to be a knitter.

"Knitting. First, we're in the golden age of yarns. There are hundreds of indie dyers putting amazing colors on a truly mind-boggling range of yarn bases (both fiber content and weight). Even "cheap" yarn is better quality, and comes in a wider range of colors and bases, than ever before. There's an abundance of wool yarn soft enough to wear next to your skin (although you can get scratchy yarn if that's your jam).

Then there are the patterns. Thousands of them, many of them free online. Think of what you want to make, and there's a pattern out there.

Tools, too. How do you like your needles - wood, bamboo, steel, aluminum, plastic, casein? Circular with 15 sizes of interchangeable tips, straight, long short? They're out there.

If you're a knitting nerd, it's a great time to be alive."

– cwthree

"I believe it's both crochet and knitting!! i might be a lil biased as i crochet and not knit but all the points you made apply to crochet!"

– QUEERVEE

Paleontology

DINOSAURRRRRS!!! Who knew?

"Paleontology! So much tech bringing new stuff to light."

– foolishfoolsgold

"And archaeology. LiDAR's power to identify probably human-made structures under layers of jungle canopy is just incredible."

– ModusPwnins

"And completely overhauling existing knowledge. DNA studies have changed to much in paleontology that there are joke papers published about it.

A lot of people's life work has been proven incorrect because of a few DNA studies despite those folks using the best methodologies available to them at the time."

– guynamedjames

Cooking

So many recipes. So many documentaries. "The Great British Baking Show." All at our fingertips.

"Cooking! I'm 30 now and it's so easy to find amazing recipes, good cooking supplies, and with so much information I can save money on food in so many ways. Literally youtube is teaching me to make so many great things."

– BootsRubberClumsy

"Yup, and this influx of easy information has created a nexus of global cuisines in almost all major cities. the blending of ingredients and techniques from Asia, Europe, latin America, etc is creating some really incredible stuff. I worked at a three Michelin when I was younger that had a classically trained French chef who focused on Japanese ingredients, it was really quite something."

– ThewFflegyy

"Dietary options. No matter what issue you have, there's a pantry full of food that will meet that restriction AND taste good."

– deathbrusher

Board Games

This one might be surprising, considering the internet and digital entertainment and screen usage. Perhaps board games are having a great run because of, not in spite of, those things?

"Board games have been having a great run for the past 10 years, tons of amazing games coming out every year."

– jraff_dot_net

"The combination of the internet and the inability to copyright rules have opened a floodgate of innovation in board games." – SuperPants73

"Here are some great modern games that are considered gateway games. I would definitely call them favorites also. (Edited for formatting)

Ticket to Ride
Carcassonne
Pandemic
Dominion
Splendor
Azul

King of Tokyo"

– HabeLinkin

Music Production Equipment

Excellent news for creatives with little $$$.

"Playing guitar and recording music. You can buy a quality guitar online for crazy cheap now and some pro recording software out there is free." – leatherwolf89

"Seriously! 'Starter' instruments these days are so far ahead of the starters of the 90's/00's- it's insane how much quality you can get these days for much, much less." – Fortune090

"Keyboards, both synthesizers and mechanical.

It's possible to get a synth that sounds identical to a $5000 Minimoog for $200 and a decent mechanical keyboard for less than that." – the_slanted_slope

"To add to that, DAWs (sound/song editing software, like photoshop for music) are amazing these days!

Some have plug-ins that can mimic orchestras so accurately that you can tell them which way a violin bow's stroke is moving and configure valve sounds into saxes. Some digital flautists come with breath sounds! Like it'll blow a long riff, then a sound like the musician is lightly inhaling.

Off key? Add a little auto-tune. Drummer's all 'not quite my temp' on you? Align it to a digital metronome. Now your drum tracks sound like they're made by an app? Add a little random error into the mix to "humanize" it.

That shit used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now $5k gets you a moderately professional studio rig. (But the price for top-end stuff will always be 'how much ya got?')" – hendergle

Home Television Sets

For real. We've all experienced the opposite of inflation with home TVs and it's been a glorious thing.

"Home TVs. The sort of hardware you can get for even $300 is absolutely absurd compared to what the 1980s through 2000s knew." – NotAnotherEmpire

"32-inch, 2006 from Best Buy for $1,700.

I can’t come to terms with the fact that only 18 years later I’m watching a TV twice as big that cost 40% less and carries a picture quality that’s so good it gives me chills sometimes." – frawgster

"Accurate. Just got a 55" Samsung LCD for $350. Hard to beat that value." – Pac_Eddy

From Your Site Articles

optimism

Joy

People are sharing good things happening in America that are flying under the radar

Don't let negative headlines overshadow the positive things happening all around us.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

We can all use some good news, and thankfully, there's plenty of it.

When you watch or read the news, it can be easy to get down on the world. It's not your imagination that the news has a negativity bias. One study showed that headlines denoting anger, fear, disgust and sadness steadily increased from 2000 to 2019, making it even harder to stay informed without feeling a sense of despair or hopelessness.

But that doesn't meant that everything is bad. The reality is that there are wonderful things happening all around us that fly under the radar. Just because good news isn't flooding our social media feeds doesn't mean it isn't there—we just might have to dig through the muck and mire of the media to find it.

Or, as one person discovered, ask people to share in a Reddit thread.

When Reddit user u/NorthPengyyy asked the Ask Reddit board, "What is a good thing happening in the US right now that people aren’t aware of?" people delivered.

Check out these uplifting developments that might just restore your faith and hope in humanity.

1. There's a promising new drug treatment for Multiple Sclerosis

"We've discovered a drug that places a significant pause on Multiple Sclerosis progression and are in trials for what could very well be the cure." – Alarming-Series6627

As Neuroscience News shares, "A new small molecule drug targeting the glutamate system shows promise in treating MS, potentially repairing myelin damage. This innovative approach could revolutionize MS treatment."

2. Not only that, but a new "inverse vaccine" may revolutionize all autoimmune disease treatment

"Not only MS, but potentially all autoimmune disease, including crohns, T1 diabetes, arthritis, lyme, and even allergies." –AVeryHeavyBurtation

In the lab, a new "inverse vaccine," which removes the immune system’s memory of one molecule, showed an ability to completely reverse autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes without shutting down the rest of the immune system. Could be a gamechanger for autoimmune diseases.

3. Anonymous donor regularly hides thousands of dollars at a children's rehab center

"There's a guy in my hometown who hides thousands of dollars outside a children's rehab center, then calls the front desk and they have a little scavenger hunt until they find it. They then use the money to help families buy holiday gifts. No one knows who he is, but over the years, he's given over $100,000. It's usually front-page news when the year's donation comes in!" – violetmemphisblue

How much fun must that be, both for the anonymous donor and for the employees and kids?

4. A judge in California thought there must be a better solution than locking young young people away for life. So he created an amazing, innovative educational alternative.

Superior Court Judge John Phillips had grown tired of seeing so many young people come through his courtroom and having no recourse but what the system provided—mostly jail time. So he created what he saw they needed. It's called Rancho Cielo and it's a place where kids who are at risk of falling into criminality go for education, support, enrichment. Here they won't fall through the cracks and they are able to become their best selves. Read more about how and why it works here.

5. New treatments for brain cancer have arrived after a long lull

"There is a new treatment for my brain cancer. There have been NO advancements in like 40 years. I should be able to take it next year and it will hopefully delay my tumor growth.

It’s pretty exciting. I have done two clinical trials. One did not pan out. The other one they won’t have the information for probably another 6-10 years." – chasingcomet2

This person could be talking about a new drug that's showing promise for brain cancer that develops in the young, or they could be referring to an immunotherapy treatment for glioblastoma, or perhaps another treatment. The science is moving along quickly on this front!

6. Sea stars are making a comeback after being largely wiped out

"The sea stars on the west coast are returning after suffering a wasting disease a few years back." – suitopseudo

Sea stars are on their way back.

Photo by geoff trodd on Unsplash

In 2013, sea stars (also commonly called starfish) began dying in droves when a wasting disease swept through the population. Thankfully, scientists now have some idea of what caused that deadly epidemic and we've seen an increase in the number of sea stars in Washington, Oregon and northern California after the mass die-off.

7. Americans might soon save on tax filing, thanks to a new IRS program

"The IRS is testing a program in 2024 that will let most people file their taxes for free right at their website, so that should save people a little cash this spring." – ndorox

Yes, calculating and paying taxes is an annoying and tedious process, which is why anything that makes it easier is a good thing.

8. Honeybees are making a comeback, too

"After some really scary news in the late 00's, bee populations have been steadily on the rebound." – CryptoCentric

It's true. Yay for the honeybees!

9. And apparently, so is Detroit. (Go Detroit!)

"Detroit is supposedly making a comeback." – MoreCowsThanPeople

"Can confirm! Certain areas are for real pretty nice and a lot of hip businesses have popped up. It's still a very weird city. You have a gorgeous church or historical venue and two doors down, a burned out building. The blight is diminishing though and it's good to see." – sane-ish

"Lowest crime in 60 years! Downtown Detroit is having a moment right now." – TheDadThatGrills

10. We're kicking cancer's butt all over the place.

"We're killing cancer. Look at cancer survival rates over the last five years." – TheDadThatGrills

In addition to the cancers referenced above, there have been huge leaps in breast cancer treatments and even treatments for aggressive cancers that used to mean a dire prognosis. We still have a long way to go, but the strides made on the cancer front the past decade have been nothing short of remarkable.

11. Local goodness abounds in communities everywhere.

"I look in my community. COVID has changed a lot. Ordinary people are helping out ordinary people either openly or in secret.

"There’s a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant near me. Not great food. But good amounts for cheap. I wondered why it had so many customers. They feed the homeless in the community. Some come and ask for food. Or some help at closing and in exchange get food. They never say no and happily give them food and even ask if they want chips and salsa. As a way of contributing, customers leave huge tips.

"When my friend was diagnosed with breast cancer her old next door neighbor couple took care of her yard and checked in on her." –ClayWheelGirl

"Every year in Atlanta and surrounding areas Clark Howard (and affiliates) raise donations to give literally every single kid in foster care gifts of their choosing for Christmas morning. They make the quota every year, and participating in it is a Christmas tradition at my house. Google Clark's Christmas Kids and give what you can." – LarvellJonesMD·

"Last year I left a Domestic Violence situation and had basically nothing, but my kid got an unexpectedly huge haul from 'Santa.' It was like, 3 huge garbage bags full of toys and clothes. This year she started school and we had to classify her as homeless for her school paperwork because we live with my parents (it was required--I tried to get out of doing it) so she's always getting offers for help from different organizations. We decline them, but it's good to know they exist for those who are truly in need." – NeedsMoreTuba

"Despite a tornado ripping through my town on Saturday, our community has banded together and there are more volunteers and supplies than the churches and schools can manage! People showing up to serve hot meals, loaning generators, taking in fur babies, and cleaning up." – reggaeisanotherbag

12. People are realizing we need more positive news

"This thread does wonders for my mental health. Wow, what a bit of positivity does." – Beliriel

"I'm so used to doom scrolling that I didn't realize how desperately deprived I was of whatever dopamine you could get from good news, but these comments woke it up. Thank you everyone." – Critical_Escape7745

"This thread gives me hope. For the first time in a long time." – JoKatHW

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Family

4-year-old's 'sweet and sour' revelation is a solid piece of wisdom, even for adults

Life advice hits different when it comes from an adorable kiddo.

@katyrobinbird/Instagram

Emi's bike-riding revelation has people tickled.

Out of the mouths of babes comes the greatest wisdom sometimes.

Kids are brand new at this whole being a human thing, and they often vocalize what they're learning as they go. This is especially true at age 4, when they're really getting the hang of asking questions and talking about their thoughts and feelings. Sometimes the things they say are surprisingly profound, and hearing sage life advice from a preschooler is always an unexpected treat.

That's why 4-year-old Emi's revelation about finding the positives in every situation has people so tickled. Emi's mom, Katy-Robin Garton (@katyrobinbird on Instagram), often puts a mic on her daughter when they go bike riding so she can hear her better and so she can capture her musings in her adorable voice while it lasts. On this ride, Emi explained how "sour" things can be turned "sweet."

Garton wrote in the video's caption, “'How will you feel when biking ends?' I asked 4-yr-old Emi. We live in Montana so when the snow comes, biking season comes to an end. Emi replied, 'I’ll be sad, but when we can’t bike, we can ski and ice-skate!' and then she continued on with what you heard in this video, 'everything that changes, has a sweet to it.' You see?"

Emi's "You see?" is about the cutest thing ever. But her life advice here is solid, even for the grownups. So many of us can get caught up in negativity and cynicism and spirals of complaint. Sometimes we need to be reminded to find the sweet in the sour.

Watch:

"These magical moments in motion are the very reason I’m motivated to get outside and ride… and ski… and ice-skate of course," wrote Garton. "It clicked for Emi as she rode—what she and I were talking about a few days prior, how you can turn a sour thing sweet with a shift in your perspective and attitude, and how you can also do the same to turn sweet things sour. At the time, I wasn’t sure the concept had deeply clicked for her, but clearly it did in this moment. I suppose when your body is free, your mind follows."

"Emi has given me the gift I didn’t know I needed today. Thank you Emi, and thank you Mama bear for raising your kids full of love and sharing it with us, ❤️❤️" wrote one commenter.

"This is the best life lesson anyone can give and coming from a 4-yr-old it's like the most special thing. Thank you," wrote another.

"EMI Talks are the new TED Talks, 😍" shared another. (Right? Totally.)

"This is the silver lining reminder I needed to hear today." wrote another. (Same, friend.)

People in the comments also pointed out that the parenting Emi has gotten is key, but as Garton pointed out, it's not just the way her parents talk to her that led her here. It's also the fact that they go outside and do physical activity together, giving Emi's young brain a chance to process and talk through what she's been learning while she's moving her body. It's a magical combo, truly.

You can follow @katyrobinbird on Instagram to enjoy more of Emi's adorable wisdom.

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Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy

Photo by Terricks Noah on Unsplash

Bringing the joy, one '10 things' list at a time

Hey all! Welcome to our weekly roundup of joyful finds! Hope these nuggets of delight bring a smile or 10 to your face.

If you'd like to have these posts delivered to your inbox, sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.

Enjoy!

1. Some solid words of wisdom for the college-aged crowd

As someone who's been called "Gordo" for 25 years, can confirm. You have to be careful.

2. Sibling trio from South Africa sings an incredible rendition of 'Stand By Me'

That angelic voice. Those harmonies. The dancing body percussionist. Utter perfection. Read more about this dynamic trio here.

3. Dog grampa goes all out babysitting his daughter's pooch

Swipe through these texts. Could Gramps be more adorable?

4. Timothy Fletcher brings the house down with his jaw-dropping drum performance on AGT

The drumming is great, but the showmanship is next level. Read the full story here.

5. Woman sings in historic Iranian mosque, despite women being forbiddden to sing in public

Her voice is beautiful, but it's her courage and confidence—and that single finger stopping the man in his tracks—that make this video so incredible to watch.

6. Three cheers for all the Ronnies of the world

That's a young man who knew exactly what to do to put a mom's heart at ease in this situation. Way to go, Ronnie.

7. Girl calls her stepfather 'Dad' for the first time and it's just so beautiful

Here's to the dads who step in and step up to fatherhood. Read the full story here.

8. It's excitement over the little things like Egg Day that make a marriage

So dang sweet.

9. Sean Astin says just the right thing to a fan with depression (f-bomb warning)

A little empathy and understanding can go a long way. Read the full story here.

10. Watch a whole stadium sing their hearts out to 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at a Harry Styles concert in Poland

The music of Queen and the legacy of Freddie Mercury will live on forever, and listening to thousands of human voices lifted together in song will never get old. Read the full story here.

Have a fabulous weekend and come back next week for more smiles!

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uplifting

Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

From a smooch-loving doggo to a match made on Duolingo to an adorable daddy-daughter duet, this week's list of things that made us smile is bringing the joy.

Buitengebieden/Twitter, Duolingo/Instagram, @lif3ofloco/Instagram (via Upworthy)

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy

I recently sat down with Rainn Wilson to talk about his book, "Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution," for the Upworthy Book Club, and one of the things we talked about was cynicism. We live in a world where it's so easy to be cynical, to toss up our hands and say, "People suck, so why bother?"

However, when we become cynical, we allow the negative forces in the world win. So what do we do instead?

Wilson posits that the opposite of cynicism isn't optimism, but joy. Optimism too easily becomes "toxic positivity," which is insensitive to the real difficulties people face. But as Wilson writes, joy "doesn't disregard the hard stuff. Joy knows that negativity is a part of life as well. Joy says that life is hard but there is a place you can go, a tool you can use. Joy is a force. A choice. Something that can be harnessed. A decision to be made."

There are lots of ways to foster joy in our lives, from being of service to others to spending time with loved ones to appreciating nature to finding wholesome reasons to smile and laugh.

Joy is powerful, and however small a measure of it this week's roundup provides, I hope it helps you battle away cynicism and offers some hope and peace to your soul.

1. Doggo makes it crystal clear that she wants allll the kisses.

Her communication couldn't be clearer even if she could talk.

2. You never know what a random act of kindness means to the person on the receiving end

"If it's on your heart to do something nice for someone, just do it." Words to live by.

3. Older skater holds younger skater's hand to help with a trick and his reaction when he lands it is priceless.

Skateboarding has really created such an awesome, supportive community. Read the full story here.

4. Two strangers met on Duolingo when he kept congratulating her on her progress. Now they're married.

What an adorable real-life meet cute!

5. Couple raises over $37,000 for a kid who came by their house looking for someone to befriend

It takes a lot of courage to ask for help and to put yourself out there, especially when you've been bullied. This kiddo may not have found any kids his age at the Ray home, but he did find some kind neighbors who wanted to help him out and raised over $37,000 for him and his family in a GoFundMe. Read the full story here.

6. Dad and baby singing their ABCs together doesn't really get any cuter

That little finger. So precious.

7. Cat insists on human doing its makeup…kind of

Let's get this cat together with the chihuahua in the first video and see what happens.

8. Accidental speech-to-text is the absolute best, but especially when you're talking to a dog

"Got to poop, little poopster?"

9. A raucous piano solo turned into a rockin' dance party at the mall

Staged? Eh, perhaps. Fun and joyful to witness? Most definitely.

10. If you're baking in the July heat, take some cool inspiration from this happy polar bear

Are you feeling the joy? Would you like more of it? Get these smiley-worthy posts delivered to your inbox each week by signing up for our free email newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.

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