As I write this blog, it’s a sunny Friday morning in February. I’ve settled into a new pattern – avoiding the news, then reminding myself that my values and professional responsibilities require me to stay informed. But then it feels heavy again, and I think, Well, I’d better put my own oxygen mask on before helping others. Maybe you can relate to this cycle?

Many of my meetings with nonprofit leaders over the last few weeks have started the same way: sighs, words of exasperation and concern, followed by a deep breath and a determined shift to the topic at hand. We pivot from despondent to hopeful in an instant. Nonprofit professionals are experts at “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart.”

In fact, one nonprofit leader asked me and others in a recent meeting to share what we’re optimistic about right now. When we stop to think about it, the good really does (and hopefully always will) outshine the bad. If you need a little inspiration to find optimism, Newsweek asked a worldwide cohort of philosophers the very same question. I’m sharing a few of their responses below, and you can read the full article here.

“The energy, intelligence, and compassion of young people.” - Martha C. Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, University of Chicago

“The biggest reason to be optimistic about 2025 is the continuing decline in extreme poverty, defined as not being able to reliably meet your basic needs for food and shelter... The number of children dying before their fifth birthday has declined in tandem with the reduction in extreme poverty.” - Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics, Author, and Philosopher

“I take my solace in the infinite capacity of human creativity, both intellectual and artistic. Sometimes it takes dark times to concentrate the mind. We so love our distractions. But forced to face intolerable facts, we do, and it can bring out the best in us. I anticipate an outpouring of daringly innovative conceptual schemes that prioritize human flourishing and searingly revelatory works of art that prioritize the same.” - Rebecca Goldstein, Author and Philosopher

Thank you to everyone in this community doing it with a broken heart – you are my eternal source of optimism!  

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Sam Wright is a Senior Advisor with Armstrong McGuire who specializes in coaching, talent acquisition, resource development, and data analysis and research. Learn more about Sam in her bio. Check out our recent video on Coaching and Staff Development.

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