Episode 108: The Optimistic American with Paul Johnson
November 16, 2022
Think about how you feel after listening to the news. Do you feel energized and positive? Or do you feel like you’re being hung by your feet from 100 stories up?
There is a huge bias in our society towards creating negativity, according to today’s guest. Paul E. Johnson Jr. joins me to discuss the power of optimism and how to practice it. He is the host of The Optimistic American podcast, whose goal is to create space in the news and media for an optimistic view of America.
Paul has a significant background in business, politics, and government. At 30 years old, he was elected as the youngest mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, and has managed several state campaigns for presidential candidates.
In this episode, Paul shares how we can feel enlivened by things we might not see at first glance. And I know you will love conversation as much as I do.
We discussed:
- How a career in politics led to Paul’s revelation about negative bias
- How we can find our optimistic space in a negative world
- The harmful effects of labeling people with whom we disagree
- 3 factors that are essential to finding motivation and meaning
- The simplest way we can add to our quality of life in retirement
