No matter where you stand politically, in whatever country in the world, these are stressful times. So, I thought I’d bring some “bright” into the conversation this week.
I came across these charts that show how the world has changed over the last 200 years. In short, poverty and child mortality are down, and education, literacy, democracy and vaccinations are up, by a lot.
I made my way to this chart from an excellent weekly blog called ICYMI by Larry Kamer. Larry shared some perspective about cognitive biases that can warp our perception of reality.
One of those cognitive biases is declinism, where we remember the past as better than it was and expect the future to be worse than it will likely be.
Despite living in the most peaceful and prosperous time in history, many people believe things are getting worse. The data show things usually get better over time, so chin up.
I also came across an excellent Inc. article, 9 Positive Things About Life Everyone Should Tell Themselves on Sunday Morning. Here are the highlights:
Don’t forget to get outside. I significantly improved my outlook this weekend by taking a long walk in the mountains with a good friend. There is magic in nature.
Wishing you a bright week,
Barbara Fagan-Smith
CEO, ROI Communication
Chief Catalyst, Living ROI
P.S. If you want to check out Larry Kamer’s blog, ICYMI, send him an email.
