This year, my biggest goal is to make the case for Radical Optimism. The stoics believed that for many of us, happiness was a choice. There were outliers (the poor, the sick, the broken) but to a huge degree, they thought reality was up to us. This is what we might today call ‘privilege’.
I’m one of those privileged. I was born into a bit of luck. So for me Radical Optimism is making choices that include less whining, less complaining, and more joy. It’s perhaps a naive and selfish approach.
But joy begets joy. Good work begets good work. And the true purpose of Radical Optimism isn’t to bring happiness to oneself, but to others. It’s a revolution about being of service. It’s about a relentless (and often blind) movement forward - without the analysis/paralysis that often holds us back. It’s about breaking down the resistance.
Radical Optimism is not about having all the answers. Nor is it about ignoring pain and suffering (no amount of magic can dispel that). But it is about latching onto the smallest sliver of light, and growing it.