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Could empowered optimism be your superpower?
A commentary by Victor Perton
Could empowered optimism be your superpower?
Are you an empowered optimist who chooses courage, acknowledges grief, and pursues transformation?
Anne Therese Gennari wrote: “As a Climate Optimist, it has taken me some time to realize that grief, too, has a place in empowered optimism. That we cannot ignore the difficult feelings for fear that they will consume us. Instead, we must accept and trust that they are here to not only help us process what we are going through, but also offer a profound opportunity for transformation.”
To me, empowered optimism is grounded, clear-eyed, and action-oriented. It is the belief that things can get better because of what you do to make them better. It is courage in motion.
Grief and optimism are not opposites. They are companions on the journey of healing and growth. As explored in Grief: How Should an Optimist Comfort and Support the Grieving? by Trish Vejby, Christy Roberts, and me, empowered optimism honours the reality of sorrow while gently guiding us toward connection, compassion, and hope. The optimistic approach is not to fix grief or dismiss it, but to stand with, to listen deeply, and to affirm that light remains possible even in the darkest moments. The article reminds us that asking questions like “What has brought you strength?” or “What makes you feel even a little hopeful today?” can offer far more than solace. They can spark transformation. Empowered optimism invites us to meet grief with empathy and a quiet confidence in the healing power of presence and possibility.
In a world of uncertainty, empowered optimism is a steady and luminous force. It does not promise ease, but it does promise meaning, movement, and momentum. It asks us not to turn away from pain or challenge, but to engage with life as it is and then choose to improve it. That is the power of optimism. That is your power.
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