Optimism isn't wishful thinking. It's a skill you build through small, intentional actions every day.

Rational optimism faces reality head-on. It doesn't deny hardship. It helps you move through it instead.

Rest isn't a reward for burnout. It's a strategy for resilience, better decisions, and stronger performance.

Big change rarely comes in leaps. It grows from the next small, constructive step you choose to take.

In a world that has gone rogue, topsy-turvy, or just plain crazy, remaining an optimist feels optional at best. Enter Resilient Optimism: The Science of Sustaining a Positive Mindset in Tough Times (September 22, 2026, from Harvard Business Review Press) by Michelle Gielan, former CBS anchor turned positive psychology researcher.

Although we are born with certain propensities and traits, optimism is indeed a learned practice. As a former CBS news anchor during the Great Recession in 2008, Gielan sought to provide a path forward for people. What interested her most was what makes some people handle conflict better than others, At the time, she suggested to her producer that they do a weekly segment called Happy Week to help people rethink their financial challenges.

I’ve always been wary of the kind of positivity that asks us to smile through grief, uncertainty, or exhaustion in that “fake it ’til you make it” kind of way. It is fake, at best.........

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