Happiness & Hope

Need a pick-me-up? These feel-good tales of people changing the world for the better will restore your confidence in humanity and put a spring in your step.

Image: A blonde woman wearing glasses, standing outside with her hands behind her head, with a look of ease and joy on her face

Five Keys to Bringing More Ease and Joy into Your Work

We all have our ups and downs. We all have our tough days and tough times. But our days are not supposed to just be painful means to a future end. Even on our toughest days, we can allow ourselves brief moments of joy, ease, and gratitude. Here are 5 ways to make it happen.

5 min read

What if We Celebrated What’s Right with the World?

As a National Geographic photographer, Dewitt Jones learned a lot about reframing the way he looks at the world. Here are the remarkable insights he has on what we can do to find what's right with the world and start to see beauty more often.

How Honesty Can Win Friends in the Gratitude Economy

Most of us have a circle of businesses that we consider “trusted advisors” in our lives. This is a huge part of the Gratitude Economy. It could be anyone from the dry cleaner you drive across town for, to the dental hygienist who tells it like it is, to a wise, grandfatherly attorney. In this video, you will learn why you want to be a “trusted advisor” to people and how to help customers feel like they have “an insider” in their corner, and that can be you!

Image: A woman standing in front of a large aquarium tank, looking up in wonder.

The Wonder is in Your Eyes, Not in the Scene!

Could the stories we tell ourselves about our experiences matter more than the experiences themselves? It seems all we need is a little perspective and mindset shift to make the most of life. Here's an incredible story of how one man did exactly that.

Image: A valedictorian at commencement, facing the crowd of graduates the way this non-speaking valedictorian did in her speech.

Non-Speaking Valedictorian Gives College Commencement Speech

College commencement ceremonies highlight the transition from being a student to going out into the real world. The moving speech at Rollins College – a private college in Winter Park, Florida – on May 8, 2022, admonished the graduates to use their own voices and serve others. It was especially poignant because the valedictorian is a non-speaking autistic woman who never said a word.

Image: A gratitude jar filled with lights, and a person reaching for it.

Want to Practice Gratitude? There’s a Jar for That

Write it down. Speak it out loud. Express it through song. Convey it through gifts. Say a little prayer. There’s every which way to cultivate the attitude of gratitude. And for those on the artsy side, there’s a jar for that.

Image: Seven candles and assorted greenery on a table, with a person lighting the candle in the middle.

Today is Enough and You are Enough. Use Your Special Things!

Do you have anything in your home that you're waiting for the perfect moment to use? A bottle of wine, dress, or candle, perhaps? Gillian Dunn has a special trick for how we can stop letting our candles melt in the closet, and instead decide that any moment can be special.

A New Way to Measure Success in the Gratitude Economy

Many of us in the Gratitude Economy have a cherished thank you note on our desk, or a tender voicemail of gratitude that we haven’t erased. In fact, if you are going the extra mile for folks, you probably get many “tender comments” from people whose lives you’ve improved. In this video you’ll learn how to use these metrics as a measure of success, instead of focusing on money… and why that matters.

54 min listen