Good news is good

In general I'm an optimistic person, but there's a lot of depressing news out there these days and sometimes it can be hard to remain upbeat. Interestingly however, I've been noticing more and more stories about people who are fighting back against all this negativism (remember The Book of Awesome?). Here are two "good" projects I've heard about recently - one that's taken on a life of its own and one that's just taking off - that help remind me that the world is still full of positive people and stories.

The 365 Grateful Project began in 2008 as Haily's self-healing process. She took a simple but powerful idea - gratitude - and turned it into a year long project that involved taking a Polaroid photo of something she was grateful for each day. I think this is a great reminder to consciously focus on the positive things, however small, around us (because it's so easy to get obsessed about the things that annoy us, isn't it?). News of her project spread, other people have taken on similar projects, and now there's even a video in the works. Thanks to Design Mom for sharing this.

I heard about the second project, the Campaign for Good News, from my aunt, who is bridge partners with Chris Greig's grandmother. Starting June 22, Chris will bike from Alaska to Florida in 30 days, stopping at communities along the way to film good news stories which will be posted on his site every day. He isn't raising money for anything, he simply wants to "remind you of all the positive things happening in the world and inspire others to dream big and 'make a difference' in whatever way they can." I think this is such an original idea and I especially like Chris' conviction that a guy riding a bike across North America can inspire optimism. I've signed the petition on his website (and you should, too) and can't wait to follow his journey and hear about the people and stories he discovers.

In the meantime, keep smiling!