Dose of Optimism #13
Before we give you your regular dose of optimism, we want to invite you experience our newest project: Optimistic Encounters.
Let’s face it, uncertain times call for optimistic encounters, right? So beginning NEXT WEEK we are hosting regular discussions with individuals who are focusing their energy on the positive and the possible. Entrepreneurs, authors, artists, activists and other smart folks who will give you a reason to feel a bit more optimistic, even in these challenging times.
Our first Optimistic Encounter will be on Tuesday, April 28 @ 5:00 PM Eastern with Martin Schubert, a Berlin-based educator and storyteller on the topic of “how ritual can lead to renewal in a a time of despair.”
Interested in joining us? Sign up HERE to join us on Zoom or follow us on Facebook Live!
Are you Doom-scrolling or Skill-scrolling?
You’ve probably been there at some point in the past few weeks, scrolling through endless news stories about what is going wrong in the world. Too many confirmed cases… too few facemasks… sky high unemployment and super low morale. They call this doom-scrolling, the act of seeing the endless negative stories that make our minds anxious and our hearts ache.
Of course there are also positive stories too, and you probably check some of them out as well. Maybe you watch Jon Krazinski’s Some Good News show (if you don’t you should)? And of course you are getting this email, which hopefully helps bring a bit of optimism to your day.
But what about SKILL-scrolling? Are you doing that?
Well, we’re not sure if anyone else is using this term, but we like to refer to it as the act of scrolling through your feeds looking for new skills to acquire and lessons to learn. Maybe you find some new recipes for all that home cooking you are doing. Or perhaps you look for advice on home improvement projects, how to acquire new technology skills, or maybe even how to speak a new language. Whatever it is, skill-scrolling is a much more positive way to spend your time, don’t you think?
We’re not saying to ignore the news – it’s vitally important to stay tuned into what is happening, especially as it affects all of our health and wellbeing. But when you find yourself getting sucked into the doom-scrolling abyss, maybe consciously take a step back and ask yourself what is something positive you can learn today? What’s a skill that you might want to master?
And then start doing some skill-scrolling; who knows where your learning might lead you?