🧠 Optimism isn't a mood...

I have a theory that the more you love your beautiful little weirdo self, the more you'll find people who love it too.

» PS: if you believe that, you can listen to the “The Opposite of Settling” audiobook FOR FREE if you have Spotify Premium. Just click here and enjoy. No strings attached.

Let’s get into today’s 3 mindsets.

1. Hope starts with language

The most powerful tool for becoming more hopeful isn’t mindset, it’s language. The words you use to narrate your life don’t just describe reality… they build it. Psychologist Charles Snyder proved this in the 1990s when he set out to quantify hope itself. His research revealed that people who recovered faster from setbacks didn’t just feel differently - they spoke differently.

Their self-talk was filled with verbs, not verdicts. They said “I’ll find another way” instead of “It’s over.” Snyder’s Hope Scale showed that high-hope individuals used two kinds of language:

• Agency: goal-directed energy (“I will,” “I can,” “I’m able to”).

• Pathways: strategies for action (“If this fails, I’ll try that”).

He found this wasn’t semantics, it predicted persistence, performance, and recovery. Hopeful language keeps the mind in motion. Hopeless language shuts it down. Cognitive scans show that forward-moving phrases like “I’m rebuilding” activate the brain’s problem-solving centers, while static ones like “I failed” trigger threat responses and cortisol.

Grammar can restart you. It can rebuild you. Adding words like yet, still, or so far keeps your story open - “I haven’t figured it out yet” tells your brain the file’s still active.

Snyder’s studies even found that students who used this kind of future-tense, movement-oriented language performed better and recovered faster from setbacks. Hope isn’t a mood, it’s a method.

So when you catch yourself saying “I can’t,” “I’m done,” or “It’s over,” rewrite it:
“I’m learning.” “I’m resting for now.” “I’ll try another way.”

Your brain believes what you tell it.

Decades of research show that optimistic people are statistically more likely to have higher income, better health, longer relationships, and greater creative success because their brains literally become more open to opportunity.

I've led 44 keynotes/workshops this year and am convinced now more than ever of the power of creating optimism with handwritten pieces of clarity.

» If you’re interested in having me lead my “Language of Optimism” keynote for your organization or community, check out this page and reach out.

2. That’s weird…

Some observations on expectations, pressure, and labels…

I think it’s weird how everyone says “find your passion” like it’s a single thing. The heart isn’t meant to live off only one fire.

I think it’s weird how people think being single means you’re missing something. Some of your life’s best chapters start with your own name.

I think it’s weird how people think you need to have life figured out by 25 or 30. Some of the best stories don’t even start until the second act.

I think it’s weird how people say “you’ve changed” like it’s an insult. Some seasons of life require a completely and upgraded version of you.

I think it’s weird how people act like changing careers means you failed. Sometimes success is realizing what you don’t want anymore.

I think it’s weird how people call you delusional for believing in yourself. What’s crazier - betting on yourself or settling?

3. That’s beautiful

There’s something beautiful about people who haven't had easy lives, but are determined to savor the sweetness life has to offer. They’ve fought for their peace. You can sense it in their presence. They have a calm warmth about them and they won’t let life take it from them.

Never bet against someone who has been through a lot but refuses to turn cold.

Today’s podcast episode

749 - What words do you use to talk to yourself? In this episode, I talk about the science of hope. I talk about "agency" and "pathways" and how a focus on both with language can change how you move through life.

» Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

My name is Case. I believe in the power of perspective.

Say hi on Instagram @case.kenny

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