The sunglasses we choose

Every morning on the school run, I remind Penélope how beautiful the day is. The trees. The sunlight. The birds. Even in traffic. Even when I’m not feeling it. Especially then.

It’s become a small ritual, one I do for her, but also for me. A daily choice to focus on what’s good, even if what’s happening around me feels uncertain or hard. Lately, that choice has taken on a whole new weight.

Right now, in this season of navigating complex moments at work, the most powerful trait I have (the one I lean on every single day) is optimism. Not the fluffy kind. But the deep-seated belief that we’ll figure it out. That there’s always a way forward, even if I have to invent it from scratch. That solutions will come, one by one, as long as I keep showing up.

It’s this quiet faith that keeps me moving. Keeps me creating. Keeps me solving. And I don’t know exactly where it came from, but I have a feeling it started back home in Venezuela. A place full of challenges, yes, but also full of people who chose joy anyway. Who smiled big, helped each other out, and made the best of it, always. That blend of hardship and hope shaped me in ways I’m only now starting to fully understand.

And maybe this is how Penélope will learn it too. Not because I sit her down and explain it. But because she watches me put on the sunglasses every morning. Because she hears me name what’s good, even when things are hard. Because she sees that optimism isn’t passive; it’s powerful. It’s what allows you to lead, to mother, to create, and to keep going.

That’s the inheritance I hope she carries forward.

What quiet strength is helping you move through uncertainty right now?

‍Insight

Optimism isn’t about denying hardship; it’s about choosing a lens that allows you to keep moving. Like sunglasses, the tint you choose can either darken your path or soften the glare so you can see more clearly. In uncertain times, optimism acts less like wishful thinking and more like a stabiliser, anchoring you in the belief that effort and creativity will eventually yield solutions. By practicing this daily, you don’t just protect your own focus and energy; you also model resilience for those watching you.

Action

- Create a ritual: Name one good thing out loud each morning to train your brain toward positive scanning.‍

- Anchor optimism to action: Pair every challenge with the question, “What’s one next step I can take?” This keeps optimism from being abstract and turns it into progress.

- Share it forward: Let someone else see you practice this habit, a child, a colleague, or a friend. Optimism is contagious, and when others witness it in practice, they learn it’s a choice too.

Research

Research shows optimism is not only protective for mental health but also strongly linked to resilience and performance under stress.

Optimism “helps people manage stress more effectively, reduces the impact of negative emotions, and fosters perseverance in the face of difficulties” (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020).

In other words, optimism doesn’t just brighten the day, it measurably strengthens our capacity to endure and thrive.

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