Make someone’s day“I’m an incurable optimist … always have been. Many years ago, I sent a note of appreciation to the department head for a woman who had helped me immensely. The following day I received a phone call from the woman, and she was in tears. She had been called in to her supervisor’s office, and she was sure it was for some sort of reprimand. To her surprise, the supervisor showed her my memo and reaffirmed that her work was superior. It turns out the employee had had a particularly bad week at home and was quite depressed. ‘I’ve never forgotten that. The simplest things can make the biggest difference to someone.” — Charles, 71

Fake it til you make it “I never realized until I was older just how negative I could be. In the last several years, I have made a real effort to adjust my mindset. I realized how even small negative comments and thoughts can affect my outlook, as well as the outlooks of those around me. It’s something I work on every single day, which is often difficult because of lifelong depression issues. Don’t we all prefer to surround ourselves with positive people rather than Debbie Downers? Twelve years ago my sister-in-law suddenly lost her husband of 30 years. His loss is, and always will be, enormously painful for her. But when you ask her how she has coped so well, she will tell you that she chooses to be happy. That happiness could be a choice had never entered my mind. I started small. When people would ask ‘how are you?’ I would say, ‘I am great!’ no matter how I was really feeling. Almost like faking it until you make it. I soon found I was feeling pretty great most of the time. And the positive interaction I get from others has reinforced the importance of that positivity.” — Diana, 60

“Every time I encounter difficult times, I make a point to write down 10 things I’m grateful for. It helps me keep a positive attitude and to focus on everything that is good in my life. Singing in a choir is a habit that helps me stay positive. To me, there is nothing more joyful than many different voices converging as one to create beautiful music.” — Sabine, 65