Category 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: Two men sitting on logs beside a lake, symbolic of interacting with empathy

Empathy is the Renewable Resource We Can Tap Into Now

What if empathy was at the heart of the solution to changing the divisiveness that feels so dominant now? It turns out empathy isn't a set trait, it's something we can learn to develop, and it's super easy to start! Here's how you can easily start making a positive change!

Image: People standing on a subway platform in NYC, a train rushing behind them. The place where Benny plays his trombone, after the accident where he lost all his memories.

If You Lost 29 Years of Memories, What Would Bring You Back to Life?

After a car accident, Benny couldn’t remember his name, that he had a son, or even where he was. But Benny had a trombone, and he did remember one thing: how to play it. With that, he brought his music to the street to bring joy to others.

Image: A person playing a cello as part of the Street Symphony program.

Bringing the Symphony to the Street

We have all felt the connective and uplifting power of a great musical performance. But what if you couldn't access to those moments that most feed your soul? Thanks to the work of a remarkable organization, the residents of LA facing homelessness and incarceration, these moments are no longer lost.

5 min watch

Patrick’s Rule for Being Happy Despite the Circumstances

Embracing your life circumstances and through it all, being true to who you have decided that you ARE.

Image: a boy and his seizure response dog train together

Here’s How Seizure Detecting Dogs are Changing People’s Lives

Can dogs really be life-savers? Meet the dogs that are helping their owners detect seizures up to 45 minutes before they occur! It's a fascinating story. These pups are making life safer and easier for people who suffer from seizures.

Image: A mom sitting on the couch with her two young kids, looking at a computer to volunteer from home.

7 Volunteer Ideas to Accomplish Without Leaving Your Couch

Good Deeds Day, the global day of altruism and volunteering, is getting closer. Want to participate but going out to public events isn’t an option right now? Don’t worry, you can participate in GDD on April 3, 2022 right from your own living room couch.

Image: A man looking in the mirror, representative of befriending your inner demons.

Don’t Overcome Your Demons, Make them Your Friends

As kids we’re told to treat others as you’d like to be treated, but as adults many of us have trouble extending that “golden rule” to ourselves. How often do you find yourself thinking, saying, or believing things about yourself that are so unsavory you would certainly never say them to others? What if instead of trying to fight those inner demons, we decided to give them a high five, maybe even a hug?

Image: A boat creating a circular wave behind it in the ocean, representing how preventing things is much easier than dealing with their fallout.

How Forward Thinking Prevents Disaster

Have you ever heard the famous Ben Franklin saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?" And yet, our society is entirely reactive to existing problems, struggling to get the public interested in preventing tragedy before it strikes. Here's why that is, and what we can do to take more preemptive action both for the world and in our own lives.

5 min read

Image: Artist Andrew Meyers painting the portrait of George Wurtzel that's made of nails.

What if Art Was Meant to be Touched?

Ever wanted to touch the art in a museum? Artists like these fellows are encouraging all of us to! Here's a touching story about the power that tactile art can have across many communities.

Image: Weeds growing in the cracks of a sidewalk, and a pair of floral patterned rain boots.

Stop and Smell the…Weeds? A Reminder that Wonder is All Around You!

Weeds are seen as pests, but what if we thought of them as miraculous, instead? Is it possible that we have been wrongfully hating weeds for years, seeing their ability to grow anywhere as a great nuisance instead of a remarkable feat?

5 min read

Micro-Preemie Turns 21: Twelve Lessons to Use when Tragedy Strikes

When life gets difficult there's always something we can learn and use for the rest of our lives. 21 years ago, Dr. Lynda (The Goodness Exchange's founder) gave birth to a 1 pound baby when she was just into the 5th month of her pregnancy. She picked up a few pearls of wisdom in the years that followed—here are 12.

48 min listen

10 Stories That Will Make You Feel Grateful Right Now with Michael Shields (Episode #110)

This episode will feel like "food for the soul" because it is chock full of quick insights and 10 recommendations for places to head to next if you want your hope in the future rekindled. My guest, Michael Shields, is also a podcaster, and like me, he speaks with amazing people every week who fill him with delight and wonder. So today, we are swapping stories about 10 of our guests (4-5 from each of us) who come to mind immediately when we think about ingenious ideas and helpful perspectives.

Positive news for curious people.

There is a wave of goodness and progress well underway, all around the world.

Urban sloths are more common that you might think!

In a bustling world where speed often dictates suc

CALLING ALL CHEESE-LOVERS! 🧀⁠ Join us on an u

Nature has already solved so many of our modern-da

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