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Our guest is Bill Burke, host of the Blue Sky podcast and founder\xa0of the Optimism Institute. Previously, Bill was the CEO of the Weather channel and Founding General Manager of Turner Classic Movies and president of TBS.\xa0\nToday we chat about his definition of Optimism\u2026the belief that tomorrow will be better than today and that we can play a role in making it so. Our mindset and our actions can, in fact,\xa0play an active role in making things better.\xa0\nHe shares that an optimistic outlook inspires us to rebound from life\u2019s inevitable setbacks, helps us not get crushed by them, and invites us to see the small joys that are always in and around us. He discusses the direct connection between gratitude and optimism.\nAnd, he says, that as optimistic as one might be we, of course, must realize that bad things are going to happen. However, it's how we relate to them, learn from them AND, most importantly, how we have more empathy for others who might have dealt with a similar situation.\xa0\nWhen I asked him what he thought about the mess we\u2019re in today and how we can be optimistic, he said," if you only read the news, you'll think that things have never been worse. But if you read history, you'll realize that things have never been better."\xa0As a historian, he\u2019s got some pretty compelling data points on this.\xa0Every generation, he said in a commencement speech he gave recently, leaves a mess for the one that follows. BUT we never count all the good things, all the progress that we\u2019ve made. We tend to take the successes or accomplishments for granted.\xa0\nHe shared a recent Harvard study that found that exposure to just four minutes of good news can make you 32% less anxious and 18% more optimistic.\nI think you\u2019ll find some really interesting nuggets here.\nAs always, we\u2019re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential and Meditation Studio, the five star app. Check out choosemuse.com and use discount code untangle15. \nResource: https://www.theoptimisminstitute.com/\nFind the Blue Sky Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. \nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices