1.      Always look for and find the positive view?

2.      Awake to new possibilities every morning and every moment of every day?

3.      Risk daily, or be bored?

Let’s turn to a true story and some White Nile Optimism.

Forty years ago a local company was strong and profitable. Mary (not her real name), the Vice President, had pleaded with her boss and the workers of the company, try to convince them that they had the strength and resources to mortgage everything–including the kitchen sink–to take on a challenge and risk it all for a grand goal.  The boss and workers hesitated, doubted themselves, took no action and found themselves wandering in mediocrity and near bankruptcy for the next forty years.

Does that story sound familiar?  I hope so, because it is the story of Joshua, aid to Moses.  Joshua was ready to carry out God’s mission to attack and conquer the Amorites.  So was Caleb.  They were outvoted.  Then Joshua who knew what was possible had to wait around for 40 more years in the desert waiting enter the Promised Land when he knew how to enter it NOW.  But no one other than Caleb was with him.  He could have rebelled, but chose to wait his turn when God would bless him with great responsibility and opportunity.

Forty years later when he was anointed by God to take over for Moses and lead the Israelites across the Jordan River, God spoke to Joshua to give him instructions, motivation and courage.  God reminded Joshua of the Three Promises of Optimism that guaranteed a positive view, new opportunities and lots of blessings that only come with taking big risks.

First Promise: He gave him hope and a vision of new opportunity, the Promised Land when:

• He told Joshua he would give them all the land from the desert to Lebanon; from the Euphrates to the Great Sea.
• He told Joshua that no one would be able to stand up against them; He would never leave or forsake them.

Second Promise:  He told them they would have to work really hard, fight battles against tough enemies, and endure more hardships.  In other words, even though God was giving them the Promised Land, he did not just hand it over. He (God) could have cleared it of all other inhabitants through flood, earthquake, disease and/or pestilence but instead the Lord said to Joshua:

• Be strong and courageous.  Be strong and very courageous.
• Remember, I swore this land to your forefathers.
• Be careful to obey the law that Moses gave you.
• Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you.

Now we ask: If God promised them the land, why didn’t he just give it to them?  Why did he make them work for it, fight for it, even suffer and die for it?

Our Answer:  God’s number one goal for us to glorify Him, to realize that the most optimistic and meaningful moments of life occur when we work ourselves to the maximum for His mission and glory.  He doesn’t just want us to say, “hey thanks for the nice land, this is cool. We’ll take good care of it and write home once a month.”  He wants us to experience directly the thrill of victory in the moment knowing we carried out a tough mission with Him at our side giving us the courage and stamina to overcome, to get up and fight again for His glory on another day.

Do you feel it?

• Do you feel the joy of putting everything you have into something for His mission and purpose?  God was teaching Joshua, the Israelites, and all humankind how to live in the 90%-plus optimism zone by choosing to trust in Him for the truth and wisdom to find meaning in life by carrying out His mission for us as we tackle the tough circumstances of life.

Third Promise: As Joshua trusted in the lord and carried out His mission, the blessings that were forthcoming were bountiful as promised.

Hurricane Irene has blown up the East Coast and has left its damage behind; some damage worse than expected and some not as bad.  Lives were lost and the total loss of life is still to be determined.  Power outages and flooding are widespread and remain the biggest source of concern at this point.

Monday is Dr. Russ Busster Day, the day I offer some strategies to help you “Busst-Up” any pessimistic thinking.  The circumstance of Hurricane Irene seems like an ideal teachable moment of optimism in relation to learning to “Bussterize” life’s difficult dircumstances.

Hurricane Irene Bussters

First Hurricane Pessimism Busster:  Be prepared for the worst.  From the President on down to local mayors, everyone asked the population to prepare for the worst case scenario. Such preparations included evacuations, putting up storm shutters, and sandbagging banks of rivers.  We are not in control of the hurricane or its path, but when we take steps like these we are taking control of what we can control under the circumstances.  We are keeping control of our destiny to the best of our ability.  Such actions maintain optimism and diminish pessimism.

Second Hurricane Pessimism Busster: Look at the brightest side of life that is possible under the circumstances:  A 48 year old Philadelphia resident reporting on her daughters reaction to the flooding Schuylkill River said: “My daughter thinks it looks like Venice and wants to know if we will have to take a boat to the CVS.”

Third Hurricane Pessimism Busster: Do NOT TAKE RISKS with your life, but do take risks to go out of our way to help others.  Much of New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg’s rationale for closing the subway system and evacuating lowland areas was done not only to protect the lives of the residents of these areas, but also to protect the lives of “first responders” who would have to be out helping people in trouble who did not  heed the warning and thus putting the responder’s lives at risk.

Fourth Hurricane Pessimism Busster: A hurricane like all natural disasters, always presents opportunities to rebuild and start anew.  We now know forest fires are necessary to keep a forest alive and vibrant as they clear out useless and stifling underbrush and debris on the floor of the forest. In many cases the most vulnerable building structures are the first to go down.  Replacing those is a blessing.  But whenever we have the opportunity to build something new we always have the opportunity to make improvements on the past.

Fifth Hurricane Pessimism Busster:   We learn over and over the importance of life skills related to adaptation, flexibility and continuous learning.  A week before hurricane Irene hit, there was an earthquake on the East Coast that did damage to some of the monuments in the nation’s capitol.  No one expected an earthquake and hence the buildings were not build to withstand that kind of pressure.  It rarely snows in the nation’s capitol and when it does the residents are just not prepared for it.  On the other hand we expect and are much more prepared for hurricanes, and have learned the importance of adaptation, flexibility and learning in order to minimize the damage to life and property.



In today’s Podcast of Optimism, we chat about a new study that proposes there is such a thing as “Decision Fatigue.”

Decision Fatigue affects willpower (but there’s a catch to that…), but we also chat about how you can actually avoid falling victim to Decision Fatigue by practicing a few simple things.

Take a listen to this podcast if you’re interested in learning how to increase your willpower, power up on Optimism Stamina, and avoid the mental drain that comes from depleting the “power” to make decision!

Click here to listen to episode 17 of our Podcast of Optimism series!

Click here if you’d like to read the original article and here to read the follow-up article.

My mother used the term willpower a lot.  She ingrained in my belief system that just about anything was possible with enough willpower.  Her definition of willpower was the mental mindset to stick with something to the end, to the finish.  It could refer to finishing your homework, painting a fence, practicing a skill, or completing the requirements for a degree.  Willpower can be needed for a few moments or several years.

The concept of willpower not only implies staying the course to the finish, but doing so under discomforting or painful conditions.  For example, the last six miles of a marathon are the most difficult because the runner is not only exhausted, but in great pain.

Another meaning of willpower is to resist temptation.  For years people with addictions were told they needed more willpower to resist the addictive substance.  The mental health field has learned that willpower is not enough.  In fact, exercising willpower and failing, relapsing over and over, guarantees the depletion of willpower.

AA and twelve step programs have shown that much more is needed to manage an addiction than willpower.

Psychologists have even come up with a test for willpower that measures how long an individual can stick their hand in a bucket of ice water which requires a combination of staying power and pain tolerance.  Recently it was determined that the amount of willpower for this task directly correlated with the amount of glucose in the blood.  If managing glucose in the blood is an important component of willpower, we have even more evidence that shear will or willpower is not enough.

Strategic thinking is critically important.  The kind of strategic thinking required to plan for avoiding dips in blood sugar, for keeping a steady state of glucose in the system throughout the day, for identifying when resistance to temptation is at its lowest, and then making sure you are not in the presence of the addictive substance.

Now let’s consider the role of the Optimistic Staminas in, for example, managing addictions.  Optimistic stamina’s bring in a broad range of additional strategic thinking skills that take one beyond the simple message, hang in there, you can do it, don’t give up. 

Willpower as described herein is most similar to the endurance component of the Staminas.  But, the Staminas also have speed and agility components.  Speed and agility are mental optimism skills that allow one to move quickly away from the negative and to deal with a multitude of challenging obstacles.

Here are the things willpower does not help us with: 1) putting a setback quickly in the “that’s behind me” box, 2) getting help from others, 3) getting training and new knowledge, 4) going quickly to the “creative zone,” and 5) finding opportunities to learn in every mistake.   Take a look at AA and twelve step programs and see how much use they make of the Staminas and you will find they have gone well beyond my mother’s concept of willpower.

In the end, I agree with mom, willpower does have a role and counts for something. Here are some strategies to help or nudge willpower along.  These strategies have to do with having reasons to keep your hand in that bucket of ice water.  Here are three ways to improve your willpower to keep you hand in a bucket of ice:

1. Make it a competition with at least one other person.
2. Have a helping partner and you each work non-competitively to help the other last longer on ice.
3. Imagine you were raising money for a cause and for every minute you kept your hand in the ice water you raised another $10 or $100.

Me, I’m going to skip the ice and focus on speed and agility.



I came across this heart-wrenching story the other day about a mysterious dog that turned up in he driveway of a Washington man.  Attached to the dog’s collar was a bone-shaped capsule that held a hand-written note, describing what I believe to be an optimistic decision made by a young child.

“Please take care of Mr. B…” the note reads, “My parents got a divorce and Mr. B was supposed to go to the pound.  I think he has a better chance with you. This is my birthday money for any of his care… I know God will take care of Mr. B.”  Click here to read the full note.

Check out the video below to learn what happened to Mr. B.

While some might call this an act of desperation, I believe it’s truly an act of Optimism.  This young child knew he or she would have to take a risk in order to provide Mr. B with a better life than a cramped cage at the pound. In the end, God did take care of Mr. B, thanks to concerned neighbors and co-workers.

The same can be true for you! Your tip this week:

Take a risk this week and look forward with optimism to the wonderful and exciting possibilities that await you if you’ll only act on a little faith and trust that all you need will be provided! What are you holding yourself back from, just because you are afraid to take a risk?

We can learn from the act of this young child that sometimes taking a risk and having a little faith can really make the difference between just a mere existance and and existance lived with purpose, provision, and love.

Are you paying attention to Libya?  I am.  That’s right, as an optimist I am saying here is another example of an “Impossible Dream” coming true.  Yes, and I can already hear the pessimists ranting and raving about how nothing will really change as the rebel movement will implode on itself once the enemy dictator is overthrown and be ripe for picking by another totalitarian government. 

If you are skeptical about impossible dreams coming true, I think you only need look back to around this time last year.  Here are some impossible dreams that came true over the last year:

• Last August we learned that 63 miners were trapped over a mile underground.  In less than three months all were brought up to the surface safely.

•  In February, uprisings began in the Middle East freeing Egypt from an oppressive dictatorship.  Now we see Moammar Gadhafi’s government being overthrow by rebel forces.  His end and the end of the dictatorship are clearly in site.

Had you asked anyone on the streets whether any of these events would happen within the year, let alone within our lifetimes you would have had a resounding NO vote.

Someone and more than a few someone’s were not swayed by the nay sayers and dared to dream the impossible dream.

A key few points about the impossible dream.

1. It won’t come true unless you dream it.
2. It is a “no risk” dream if you take no action to make it happen.
3. It is a high risk dream if you do everything you can to make it happen.
4. But, if you don’t do everything you can to make it happen, it won’t happen.

Why don’t more of us dream the impossible dream and pursue it as a life mission and passion? Why do we settle so easily for an average or mere mundane existence?

Reasons why we do not pursue an impossible dream.

1. It might come true, and then what will we do next?
2. We might look stupid if other’s knew what we were dreaming.
3. It might not come true, and we will have failed.
4. Trying is just too much work.
5. Who cares about having a meaningful life, I just want a comfortable one.
6. Impossible dreams that come true are scarce, so I better not dream to many or I might use up my allotment.

Reasons to take the risk of dreaming and pursuing the impossible.

1. To make a difference in the life of another.
2. To make a difference in the world; to make the world a better place than it was when you arrived in it.
3. Impossible dreams require us to use all of our talents and abilities to their fullest extent.
4. Pursing an impossible dream gives a mission and meaning to our life.
5. Impossible dreams are not scarce.  Just look around and see the infinite. possibilities for making improvements in the world and the lives of others.
6. You can be working on many impossible dreams at once.

 Types of Impossible Dreams

• Repairing broken relationships
• Being cured of cancer
• Eliminating crime
• Getting out of the lifecycle of poverty
• Recovering from addiction
• Career aspirations
• Finances
• Finding and embracing purpose in life
• Overthrowing oppression
• Eliminating human slavery
• Helping a learning disabled child learn to read
• Helping a child improve her self-esteem

There is not enough paper or space to go to infinity, but I think you get the point.

What is keeping you from thinking, dreaming and pursing an impossible dream?

Here is a little help.

A) If you are spiritual or religious think of Jesus or God or whoever your God or higher power is sitting next to you on a secluded park bench.  Imagine he/she asked you this question: Are you being and living your life to your fullest potential?  Are you being and becoming the very best person you can imagine you could ever be?

B) If you are not spiritual or religious think of your most admired family hero or your most admired hero from history (alive or from the hereafter).  Now imagine the same scenario from above only with this person on the park bench with you and answer the same question.

WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER TO THE QUESTION AND WHAT DOES YOUR ANSWER PROMPT YOU TO DO?

MAKE A COMMENT AND LET US KNOW YOUR ANSWER.

If the impossible dream is the seed of an optimistic moment, how do you cultivate it so that it grows and bears fruit?

Cultivating the seed with White Nile Optimism

Any farmer will tell you that cultivation requires stamina to stay the course during the growing season, to deal with long days of planting, storms, droughts and floods, pestilence, weeds, disease, long days of harvesting, and economic up and down turns. 

How does the farmer maintain optimism in the face of so many possible problems that occur day after day, and year after year after year?  We argue that it is only possible with a strong “Spiritual Mindset” that flows through the farmer like the White Nile feeds the Nile to keep it flowing at a steady state year round.

Here is another reason to look to your spiritual side for Optimism Stamina.

• Sometimes the pressures of your daily struggles can push your belief system beneath the surface.  Immediate pain and struggle can color the lens through which we all view all of God’s past, present, and future activities in our lives.  We can easily lose track of the truth.  And in that kind of emotional haze it doesn’t take long for us to start thinking that the goodness of God is a lie.  (Furtick)

White Nile Spiritual Bussters for Optimism Stamina

Reality Busster – The circumstances and problems that God gives us to overcome and solve.  He knows the closer you get to him to seek His help, the more your will learn and master to solve these problems.

Reality Busster – We only become REAL like the Rabbit and Skin Horse when someone really loves us, and when we accept God’s unconditional love for our imperfect selves, we have a store of love inside us that is the source of infinite optimism stamina.

• Romans 8:28 says: We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

 According to Steven Furtick:

• “Until you believe God is with and for you, fear and hesitation will characterize your life.” And, we say you will NOT have the stamina to remain in the 90%-plus optimism zone.

Belief  Busster – According to Steven Furtick all you need to believe is that God is good and God is great to have optimism get to and remain in the 90%-plus optimism zone.  God is good means he loves us unconditionally.  God is great means he is the one who created the universe out of nothing with the snap of His fingers.  According to Furtick, if you do not believe that God has the kind of power to part the Red Sea, drop bread from heaven, and miraculously heal the ill, then you cannot have the kind of “audacious faith” necessary to have a constant and steady state of optimism stamina.

Truth Busster –   “True faith is founded on what you believe about God and what He is capable of” because whatever He is capable of you are capable of if you allow Him to work here on earth through you. Are you beginning to see how White Nile Spiritual, Optimism Stamina works inside you as a constant and steady source of the positive view?

Trust Busster – If we believe in the truth of God then we can take risks for Him, including the risk that he will NOT answer our impossible dream prayer.  What do we risk by praying for the impossible?  Quite frankly, we risk undermining our faith if we come to think our prayer wasn’t answered, or we risk diminishing our belief in how good or great God is.  “Trust in God’ is essential to any sense of “Optimistic Stamina.”

Choice Busster – We have a choice everyday to believe in the truth and trust of God.  Optimism stamina comes from never wavering in your belief in God’s truth and trust given to us freely through grace.  Of course we could choose to believe that God has abandoned us or has bad intentions.  In that case we would choose to stay away from God, which many do.  Make a choice to give God the opportunity to work through you and watch your optimism stamina grow astronomically.

Wisdom Busster – The more we seek to understand God’s perfect nature and His purpose in the world, the more meaning our lives will have.  

Meaning Busster – White Nile spiritual optimism comes from carrying out our vision of God’s purpose for us. If there is no limit to what God can do then there is also no limit to what we can dream and pray or accomplish in his service.  When we are acting for the glory of God, God responds because he wants to demonstrate His glory not only to us, but to those around us.  So He loves to accomplish the impossible on our behalf. Our life then takes on meaning with unlimited stamina held up by seeing the impact we can have on the world by accomplishing impossible, optimistic goals for His glory.  When we finally realize that God’s greatness is meant to work in our lives for our good, but not necessarily monetary good, we grasp on to an infinite source of optimism stamina.

{A key reference and idea source for this post was the book: Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick, Multnomah Books, 2011).

Nearly 6.5 million 12-34 year olds tuned in to the season premier of “The Jersey Shore,” yet Kirk Cousins’s inspiring speach on the responsibilities that come along with privilege has been watched by just under 75,000 people on YouTube (at the time of this posting…).

What does this mean for our society and Gen Y? Are they, and we as a nation, doomed to succumb to the garbage attitudes so prevalent among us in pop culture? Are there more young people out there who would align themselves with the attitude of Cousins?

We discuss the importance of being grateful as well as finding a way to use your blessings (being they talents/gifts, money, time, etc) to give back and positively impact others.

Click here to listen to Episode 16 of our Podcast of Optimism!

Lose job, unemployed

1. Use this time for some serious self-reflection. Make a list of strengths you have that you utilized and did not utilize on the last job.  Make a list of other dream jobs you have thought about even if you thought this was your dream job.
2.  Realize how important the human connections with family are.  Sometimes the ego gets caught up in defining itself in terms of a job or career in a way that sets us apart from family.  Use this time to reconnect with your spouse and children in ways you have not had time for in the recent past.
3. The more you have defined yourself in terms of the external features of a career or job as opposed to the internal features of the skill sets you have to offer from within the more vulnerable is your self worth during this unemployment crisis.

Major illness, injury

1. This time can be a great opportunity for self-reflection.  As you lay in a bed or are just laid up, take advantage of the uninterrupted time to reflect on the course of life, past, present and future.  In the hustle and bustle of everyday life we rarely stop to take stock of where we have been and where we are going in order to make minor or major adjustments to our life path.
2. Ask yourself if this illness or injury is a wake-up call regarding the need to make some lifestyle changes.  Is it time to quit smoking, lose weight, change your diet, exercise more, cut back on or eliminate alcohol consumption, find more balance and less stress in your day-to-day routine.
3. Once again, you find yourself starting over, getting back into shape after an illness of injury.  You ask yourself, how many times can I keep coming back?  Instead, ask yourself, what other choice you have unless you want to remain hopeless and helpless.  Did you ever wonder if the perennial flowers and trees that bloom every Spring complain about starting over and over again. Hmm.

Bankruptcy and home foreclosure

1. Jesus was a homeless guy who walked out of the desert after spending 40 days being tempted by the devil.
2. Bankruptcy and home foreclosure are circumstances of life, it is up to us to choose the view we take.  We can blame the banks, the economy, the guy who laid us off, evil and self-centered financiers, but when all is said and done, the only person who can take the next step on your behalf is you.
3. Did you know that Thomas Jefferson and man other “Founding Fathers” were all bankrupt at the end of their lives?  Sometimes it is comforting to know that even some of our heroes suffered problems just like we have.  It may help because it reminds us that our worth is dependent on such external aspects of life, but is rally about the enduring spirit within.

Aging

1. Optimism is lived in the moment and is therefore timeless and ageless.
2. Aging is a physical phenomenon, not a mental one.
3.  Old man time is meaner than mean to your body, but he will take his toll on your soul only if you let it be so

Make a comment and let us know which of these “stamina strategies” are working for you as you face life’s most difficult challenges.  Thanks.



They’ve grown in size, strength, and personality. We have come to realize just how much they inspire us to be optimistic, loving, and selfless. 

Check out this video to check in on the happenings of Moment-to-Moment’s smiling-inducing doggies!