Dr. Russ, I am often asked the question:  With so much misery in the world, how can one be optimistic?  My standard answer is:  Without optimism, how would we survive the misery?  Optimism provides the perspective that keeps us from succumbing to misery, from “waving the white flag”… Read more   

Miss Mississippi Speaks Out for Girls Recently, Miss Mississippi, Sara Beth James, traded in a beautiful purple gown for a dress made of extra large, black plastic, trash bags as she spoke to an assembly of teenage girls at the Picayune Memorial High School. Why did she dress… Read more   

This week began with Valentines Day, and despite its over commercialization, it is a day when we can not only celebrate but reflect upon how to improve our relationships; not only at home or in our personal lives, but in our work lives.  The average person spends more… Read more   

We are all familiar with the story of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The Queen stepmother of Snow White has a magic mirror, and whenever she sits in front of the mirror she asks: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all throughout the land?”… Read more   

In the month of January, 51 “State of the . . .” addresses will be given. Fifty will be State of the State speeches delivered by a new or incumbent governor. One will be a State of the Nation report to a joint session of congress from President Obama. Every… Read more   

Before you give up on making those New Year’s Resolutions, take a deeper look at how learning the skills of optimism might help you make and achieve your annual goals. I have included the phrase “Optimism Beneath the Cover” in the title of my first guest post because the idea… Read more