I'm tired of hearing people talk about what's wrong with the world.
Too many people have given up hope. Others are depressed or apathetic.
Most have an opinion about who's to blame.
None of it is important. Not one word.
What does matter? What is important?
It's very important to notice what's right about the world.
Let's talk about that, build upon it, grow it.
Make a big freakin' deal about it!
My mom used to say, "If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all."
For the next 24 hours I challenge you to talk only about the good, the beautiful, and the positive.
Wake up tomorrow and repeat the behavior!
Positive opinions, solutions, people.
Past, present and future.
Below I've listed 51 things to get the positive party started!
I challenge you to make your own list. Post it on your blog, send it to a friend, shout it from a rooftop, print it on a t-shirt!
If you do put it on a blog, leave your link in the comments below!
What’s right with the world?
1. See this amazing performance by Blind Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii.
2. They are hiring like it's 1999!
3. Leo Babauta, Courtney Carver and Tammy Strobel are living simple lives and showing others how to do it as well.
4. Arab country donates $500,000 to help Joplin schools.
5. Gabrielle Bernstein is making A Course In Miracles hip. She’s the new Spirit Junkie.
6. Christopher Foster is the newest, oldest blogger sharing his wisdom.
7. In June a small army of remarkable people converged on Portland, Oregon for a weekend of strategizing and adventure at the World Domination Summit.
8. People at Positive Money are making good progress campaigning for a better banking system.
9. Crime rate falls to lowest level since 1973.
10. The Grand Cayman blue iguana is back from the brink of extinction.
11. A Good Samaritan finds $16,000, and returns it to the owner.
12. Cities are helping the homeless survive the summer heat wave.
13. Singer Cheryl Crow gives up her vintage 1959 convertible to raise money to rebuild schools torn apart by May Tornado.
14. Lance Ekum from the Jungle of Life and I raised over $495 for the tornado victims in Joplin Missouri.
15. Angela Artemis helps people change their vibrations.
16. Seaweed could be bio-fuel of the future.
17. Anastasiya Goers offers one month of balance in life.
18. A pilot survives a 17-plus hours in the water after a crash.
19. You can empower kindness by doing one nice thing.
20. A couple prepare to welcome their 72nd Foster Child.
21. Keli and Pace have started a Connection Revolution. Get their free manifesto.
22. A young girl loses half her brain in car crash… and gains an amazing new artistic ability.
23. James Slatcher is being hailed a hero, credited with saving more than 100 lives, after a devastating fire.
24. Sony achieves a 31% reduction in CO2 emissions.
25. Young people in New Zealand call for zero carbon emissions by 2050.
26. People at 6 Billion Ways are making another world possible.
27. A man sells his possessions to feed kids in Africa.
28. Young women grabbed the Google Science Award
29. Warren Buffett donates $1.5 billion to Gates Foundation.
30. A mystery donor rescues a gym for low-income women.
31. $140,00 was raised for Water Charity on behalf of a girl killed in a car crash.
32. A young Diamondbacks Fan shows generosity.
33. U2 brings blind fans onstage to play.
34. Forgiveness is good for your health.
35. CNN everyday heroes are changing the world.
36. Charity Navigator guides real people to do good things.
37. You have the option to wake up and laugh. Learn to see the world as it truly is.
38. My Super Life Charged Life writes about doing good.
39. Elena Duron Miranda in Bariloche, Argentina and her nonprofit, PETISOS, helps keep about 200 children out of the dump and enrolled in school.
40. Philips brings home 'L Prize' with efficient LED lamp.
41. California woman uses blog to clean up beach.
42. WorldShift Movement invites everyone to participate in a global transformation, based upon 'new world' values and ethics.
43. Grief-stricken mom found a new family after tsunami.
44. Tom Hanks to brings pollution-free scooties to India.
45. Bill Gates wants to reinvent the toilet for the Third World.
46. Johan Boswinkel is using biophotons, the faint light waves emitted by cells, help the body heal.
47. A student's trip to Antarctic helps improve the way Global Positioning System works.
48. Air Force Sgt. back from Iraq wins a million dollar lottery. from scratch off ticket.
49. Congo bans plastic bags to fight pollution.
50. They are hiring like it's 1999!
51. Bloomberg to use his own funds to aid minority youth.
52. Philanthropists give more money, donate time and talent with students.
Please join me today in spreading the word! Don't forget, post your list on your blog and leave your link in the comments below.
{ 65 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Tess,
Thanks for the push to get out and be positive! We can all fall into the gloom and doom trap. You have provided a wonderful list of reasons to be happy and remind us there is always hope!
Cathy,
I just couldn’t keep myself from writing this and I even painted the sign as an inspiration to get the article finished.
Haha, I wonder where you got the inspiration for this post
That’s an awesome challenge, and something we should all take part in. I can’t believe you found (and linked to) 52 positive things! With all the negative media coverage, I don’t think we have any idea how much good is happening in the world. Thanks for getting this started, I’m going to make a conscious effort over the next few days to “sift out” and focus on all the good things happening in my world.
Andrew Olson´s last post…Ending a Long-Term Friendship
Yes Andrew I sure did get the idea from the blogger we admire. I was going for 100 but I thought I’d do it again soon! Maybe a regular thing!
This is a great list. There is so much negativity in the world, in our every day lives that its so important to create a habit of being positive and spreading it. I plan on writing a post next week with my list. I will add it to the comments when its up. By the way – #31 – has now raised over a million dollars, pretty incredible. Thanks for sharing the positivity!
We’re So Inspired´s last post…Yes You Can!
B
Thanks for joining me in the celebration with a post. Seriously come back and give us your link. I look forward to reading it soon.
Hi Tess,
The post is up! Check it out:
http://weresoinspired.com/2011/08/19/whats-right-with-the-world/
Love the whole concept!! This is what needs to spread around like wildflowers. This needs to become contagious!!!
Thank you.
Harriet,
I love that ‘spread around like wildflower.’ How beautiful. Thanks for joining in the celebration!
Best post of the year in my book! LOVVVVVVVVVED this! Wonderful!!!
On that note, I invite you to Love Rally I think you’d love it there!
sheila´s last post…Gardening Tip: The right way to deadhead a butterfly bush
Sheila,
Loved it and I needed to read that today. Thank you! And thanks for the compliment.
I loved this post! I read every item and visited several of the links. Shakespeare said, “Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Einstein said, “The most important choice me make in life is whether to view the universe as hostile or friendly.” He also said, “We can choose to see nothing as a miracle, or everything as a miracle.” These quotes affirm your point, I think, that we choose where to place our attention. We can choose to focus on the negative or the positive. I hope you will continue this list from time to time. This is really so inspiring! Thank you–I know this took a lot of time to put together. Your efforts are appreciated!
Galen Pearl´s last post…Paying It Forward
Galen,
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment. There must have been just as many negative thinkers in Einsteins time. You’re correct it did take a while but I was determined. I also uplifted myself while doing it. The positive stuff doesn’t get the attention. It doesn’t mean it isn’t out there.
Tess,
This is so inspiring. We need to hear more things like this rather than all the bad news. I want to believe that things are getting better…..even if we can’t see the visible signs right now. I want to believe that things are happening beneath the surface that we just can’t see. I do believe that if we, collectively, believed that things were better our vibes could impact the world economy.
I love that you and Lance raised $495 for Joplin. That’s awesome. I also love that They’re Hiring Like It’s 1999 in the tech job sector. (Geez, I wish I knew how to do that stuff). Thank you for linking to my post
Angela Artemis/Poweredbyintuition´s last post…Change Your Vibration and Change Your Life
Angela,
Yes collectively we can impact the world economy. I do believe whole heartedly that the world is getting better. The old ways don’t work anymore, we’re in transition. That is always a messy thing. Hold the vision!
Hear hear, Tess! This did my heart good tonight. Thank you!
So now I have to add one more:
#53: Bold and beautiful Tess continues to use her inspiring blog to spread goodness around the world!
Have a great weekend.
Patti Foy´s last post…Strengthen Your Animal Communication Skills with an Online Practice Group
Patti,
#54 Patti and Tess are kindred spirits!
Hi Tess,
I’m glad you’ve kept my juices percolating! Yes there’s a hell of a lot Right in this world. This world is made up of 7 bilion people, give or take a few. For “things” to be right, each individual has to take responsibility in their own contributory way. Thats where to start. A few a showing the way…..a “few” more need to join in. Thank you for keeping the fires of positivity burning.
be good to yourself
David
Tess,
It’s beautiful to celebrate the positive. Our experience depends fully on how perception. My heart goes out to everyone whether they are positive, apathetic, negative or depressed. All my love to you.
Sandra / Always Well Within´s last post…An Invitation to Google+
Sandra,
Yes and for me a shift in perception is a miracle. Coming from a state of fear causes us to have a negative perception. When we can come from a state of love are perception is positive. Your compassion for others shows what a loving person you are. Love back at ya!
YEAH TESS!
There ARE lots of wonderful things to celebrate. Many unsung heroes are tirelessly working to make life easier for others.
I think the key is getting our heads on straight and seeing “horrible acts” as hurting people doing things to make others hurt as badly as they do, but then…I”m relatively naive and innocent. I refuse to believe that people were born evil. Tabula rosa + learning turned them into the best and the worst.
*lifts glass of wine to your health and mine* Let’s celebrate!
Jeanie,
I’m celebrating the unsung heroes today. I’m thinking you’re probably one of them, eh? xoxo
Tess!!
I *love* this list! It’s so uplifting! And the thing is – as I perused through what you shared, my focus was completely upon the amazing good going on in this world. And…you are just one person, sharing the good in this world. Imagine if all of us shared just one thing – online/with a friend/with our children – what a boost in well-being that would be…all across the world.
I’m turning on my MP3 player right now…and listening to “Beauty in the World”, by Macy Gray….mmmm….this is a wonderful world we live in…
Lance´s last post…The Path to Success
Lance,
Oh I just love that Macy Gray song! I could’ve added a you tube video to this post. Thanks for all of the positivity you share and for being my friend!
This is wonderful and so uplifting, Tess – thank you! I was with a friend this morning at the public market, and I said, “I love being at the market at 6a because everyone here is a morning person, and looks happy.” Sure enough, they all did! And heck, so were we — it’s good to be alive!
Your list was awesome, and it inspired even more positivity in me.
Sending that out into the world to create one heck of a ripple effect! Smiles & laughter all around!
Hi Megan,
That’s where I grew up three days a week of my childhood…at the Farmer’s Market. I think that had a positive effect on me;) Thanks for celebrating.
Hi Tess,
This post was real amazing like the positive links you’ve shared with us today. Sometimes I think world is such horrible to live but this made me realize that there such wonderful things that must be considered to be so inspiring to live life more. Thanks for the share.
Hanni´s last post…Tips on How to Avoid Stress
Hanni,
The world can’t be a horrible place as long as there are people with a positive perception willing to make a difference. Thanks for joining us here.
Thank you for that! I am constantly saying the same thing! I don’t even watch the news any more because it’s so depressing!
Thanks Tess!
Betsy,
It makes a big difference…what we allow into our mind and heart. It effects our soul. I would much rather read and listen to people who are making a positive difference. There’s a payoff to negativity, one being the opportunity to blame and bitch instead of making a difference.
The world needs this post right now. Like Betsy, I avoid the news as much as possible. Watching a great country like England being destroyed by teenage punks is the last straw.
Your list is so encouraging. It will take several days (or weeks) to taste all the fruits you have put on the platter!
Bob Lowry´s last post…A Real Life Miracle
Bob,
I’m happy to be of help today. The more we partake of this fruit the less hunger we’ll have for drama, fear and hate.
I love this article! I often celebrate what is going right in my blog, though my focus is often on enjoying what it right in my sphere of influence rather than the entire world. Thanks for this beautiful reminder to extend my gratitude to the whole world!
Chrysta Bairre´s last post…9 Empowering Questions for Personal Growth
Chrysta,
Thanks for being willing to extend your gratitude to the entire world!
HI Tess,
For me it’s all about what I am feeling inside and that seems to determine what I am experiencing in the outer world. I stopped watching the news several years ago because the theme of doom and gloom.
I know that there are unsavory things happening in the world but there are 1,000,000X more great things in this world to enjoy and be proud of.
Justin | Mazzastick´s last post…Life Has No Meaning
Yes Justin I think the news on TV or anywhere is an addiction. One that’s hard to break if you’ve never tried before. We’re lucky we figured it out so long ago!
Abso-super-lutely Tess! We (and especially the media) focus on what’s wrong or broken but why is the world largely at peace? Because we’re all doing good and getting on with each other. Look for the best and never stop looking and it will soon appear in your personal world soon after.
John Sherry´s last post…The Self-Psychology Conversation
John,
Yes it lifts my mood and attracts more good news to me. The choice is feed your fear and have a pity party by looking at what’s wrong or feed your future with more good stuff by celebrating what’s right. Easy decision to make eh?
You just reminded me of Thumper (from Bambi),”If ya can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all…”
If you doubt there’s hope for the world, go hug a little kid. Yes, you may have to go back that far these days to find cheer, but at least there are a lot of them!
Watch a funny movie, crank up your favorite song, walk in nature with a dog, snuggle up with a good book…all things that lift our spirits
Julie | A Clear Sign´s last post…How To Tell The Difference Between Intuition And Your Imagination Or Ego
Hi Julie,
Yes there is so many ways to find hope and add cheer to the world. It’s the best medicine we can all feed each other. I like your suggestions. Thanks!
Love it Tess and I’m off to celebrate that first positive pot of java!
Tammy´s last post…Top 10 Farmers Market Etiquette Tips (via Sustainable Cooking for One)
Tammy,
Oh don’t ya just love coffee, lattes, expressos etc. Let’s celebrate!
You DO forget don’t you – that it’s not all negative. That’s why I mostly avoid the news and TV – it’s too one sided. It’s almost as if the news should be re-labelled ‘Bad News At Ten O’clock.’ – Right, said my piece, now I got to check out the blind pianist – yippee! New music!
pea´s last post…The Simplest Home Ever?
Pea,
Yes that’s funny ‘tune in to the bad news at 10 and get instantly depressed!
Yes! Yes! and Yes! I love this list. Once a week, I include a “News that feels good” section in my newsletter. This week, I’m going to include this post (this Thursday). Way more bang for the buck.
There is way more going RIGHT in the world than is going wrong. We just have to be willing to look for (and at) it.
Fantastic post Tess!!!
Hugs,
Melody
Melody | Deliberate Receiving´s last post…Shame On You! Because I Certainly Don’t Want It
Melody,
You are so kind. Thanks for telling your readers about my post! I appreciate you.
Hi Tess,
What an inspiring list you have made here and I have no reason to disagree with all the links you gave. Thanks for making up my day!
Jenny´s last post…angry birds online
Jenny,
Anytime I can I’m happy to make your day. Thanks for coming by.
Great list! I love this, and my mind has been switched onto this all month. Here’s a couple: young people have greater insights and passion than they’re often credited with, and small towns are communities still! I have proof
Love and hugs Tess, and beautiful community.
Simon Hay´s last post…What’s in a Name?
Simon,
I like your addition. Especially about young people. I have so many young friends.
Wow, Tess. That is quite a list! Some juicy bits to fill my day. I love this ideas! It seems that we, as humanity in general, have a strange attraction to the train wreck but it feels so much better in our bodies and our spirits to focus on the positive. You have definitely raised a few good vibrations with this post!
Have a happy week!
Amy,
Yes I do have a strange attraction to train wrecks. Why is that! Yes to good vibrations…woo hoo!
Wonderful post, Tess! Thanks for your POSITIVE leadership on this issue! The way it’s importance keeps coming home to me is through the current political discourse — the ads no longer say anything about the candidate (in fact, I’ve seen some that don’t even mention the name of the candidate), but focus solely on voting AGAINST the opponent. Let’s focus on what we’re FOR! You’ve made a great start…
Jeffrey Willius´s last post…HOW TO BE IN THE MOMENT – 101 Little Tips
Jeffrey,
I just don’t get those ads. I don’t understand why it’s allowed. I wouldn’t want to be sending garbage out. What an awful job.
Tess, I LOVE this! I love your “51 things to get the positive party started!” – and taking a 24 hour challenge & celebrating what’s Right with the world. Love it, love it, love it. …”shout it from a rooftop, print it on a t-shirt!”
Such a great surge of positive energy right here
Aileen | Kaizen Vision´s last post…All Natural Energy Booster
Aileen,
I thing my inspiration came from being tired of the same old stuff. I’m so glad this touched you in a great way. Thanks for sharing that.
Tess, this is so positive and to the point!
What a wonderful thing you have done to highlight and focus on the beauty in this world, from the littlest things around us, to big things that are shaping the world.
And so I am not sure if anyone above added this, but I will add one more to your list…
#53 Tess of the Bold Life writing this post to uplift and inspire
Evita´s last post…The Greatest Teacher is Life
Evita,
Thanks so much for no. 53. I bow down in appreciation. xoxo
Love this, Tess. My mom shared the exact same advice, which has stayed with me since childhood
Naomi,
I love your blog and the adventurer you are. Awesome! Thanks for stopping by.
Wow…fantastic! This is a wonderful post. I cannot imagine the work that you’ve put into collating your findings. I’m intending to celebrate what’s right with sharing your post. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Evelyn Lim´s last post…Trace 21 Self-Sabotage Behaviors to 5 Life Patterns
Hi Evelyn,
I was excited to find such wonderful stuff. It made me want to search out more. The scooters, the water, Joplin…amazing good things are happening everywhere.
Hi Tess, I love this post. I realized how much complaining I do and how it ruins my day. The only good thing is only I hear them. There are also some instances that I play apathetic, pretending not to care and leave things as they are. A bad habit actually, but right now I’m starting to be thankful of all the good things this world offers.
Christy´s last post…Hello world!
Hi Christy,
Wow you are aware of it and willing to tell me about it. I hope you will take the steps needed to change your bad habits. Just think on all of the wonderful things you could tell yourself instead!
Love it. I don’t know if you ever read Ode Magazine (the Magazine for Intelligent Optimists), but I highly recommend it. I think they are changing their name soon to The Optimist. Either way – it’s a great publication with fantastic food for thought and great writing.
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