Most People Are Awesome

Welcome to The Brighter Side of Everything.

This newsletter serves a simple purpose → To help you build optimism, resilience and a solution-focused perspective.

Each week, I’ll share actionable insights that not only brighten your day but position you to be a leader within your own life and seize life’s opportunities.

Read time: 20-30 minutes.

Hello, Brighter Side readers! ☀️

Thanks for being here.

If your feed has you convinced humanity is a lost cause, this one’s for you.

It’s about zooming out from the outrage and paying closer attention to the quiet majority of people who are simply awesome.

The ones whose names you’ll never see trending, but whose actions quietly hold the world together.

Alongside that, there’s Dick Van Dyke.

Still moving, still curious and still choosing joy at 100.

A living example of what optimism and daily effort will do over a lifetime.

And threaded through it all is a simple question?

What happens if we treat everyday decency, shared smiles and grounded optimism as the real story of who we are?

See you on the Brighter Side,

Chris

P.S. Please feel free to send me feedback on how I can improve. I respond to every email.

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Most people on this planet are awesome.

Seriously, they are.

Sadly, the internet and media in general do a terrible job of showing us that.

If you judged humanity by your feed or the nightly news?

You’d assume humanity was circling the drain.

Yet off-screen, most people are doing something far less dramatic and far more important.

Being quietly, consistently decent.

The world is full of everyday awesome humans you rarely get to see.​

Think of your attention like a smoke alarm.

It goes off when something is burning, not when dinner turns out fine.

News and social feeds keep setting off the alarm with war, scandal, conflict and crime.

Why?

Because outrage grabs hold of your brain faster than calm ever will.

Meanwhile, the boring goodness of making breakfast with your family, checking in on a neighbour, or listening to a friend rarely delivers a headline.

Even though it’s what most people are doing most of the time.​

This dynamic has become so common it now has its own word.

The Oxford University recently chose “rage bait” as its Word of the Year.

A label reserved for content deliberately engineered to provoke anger so you will click, comment and share.

What a time to be alive.

Outrage has become a business model.

Angry clicks are still clicks, and clicks are money, even if they leave you feeling like the world is permanently on fire.​

When psychologists study people's emotions by having them keep diaries and check in regularly, they discover that most days are mostly okay, with some pretty good moments and only a few moments of real distress.

This pattern lines up with something called “positive mood offset”.

In neutral situations, people tend to sit slightly on the positive side rather than walking around in constant misery.

If humans were in fact mostly awful?

The emotional baseline of the world would feel very different indeed.

Psychologists also test how generous or selfish people are using economic games.

You know the ones where you decide whether to keep money or share it with others.

When people are nudged to go with their gut (due to time pressure or distraction) their choices often become more cooperative.

Not less.

The first instinct is to share, help, or be fair.

Suspicion or “I’d better protect myself” only show up when we slow everything down and start to overthink.​

Zoom out further to the global level and a similar picture appears.

Large international surveys show that when life satisfaction goes up, so do donating, volunteering and helping strangers.

When life eases up even a little, most people naturally look beyond themselves instead of collapsing into selfishness.

They start asking, “Who can I support? Where can I contribute?”

This looks far less like a fundamentally selfish species and more like a deeply cooperative one.

One that expresses generosity, especially when life isn’t framed as a constant emergency.​

Awesome in action rarely looks like a movie scene.

There’s no dramatic music or slow motion effects adding to the intensity of the moment.

It’s far simpler and waaaaay more boring.

It looks more like sending a “thinking about you” message to a friend who’s struggling.

Even when you’re tired.

That’s awesome.

It’s letting the parent with a fussy toddler go ahead of you in line.

That’s awesome.

It taking a breath when you’re angry and choosing not to send that text you know will land like a punch.​

That is also awesome.

You’ve probably done some of these things without ever labelling them this way.

It just felt like the obvious move (as it should): “Of course I’m going to do that.”

That quiet, automatic “of course” is exactly what this whole idea is about.

Think about the neighbour who clears the snow from your driveway for you, or the stranger who stays with a lost child in a supermarket until their parent shows up.

You’ve seen these moments.

You’ve likely been that person at times.

In academic language, this is “prosocial behaviour.”

In normal language, it’s just being a decent human.​

Our world needs more people who notice and highlight the good.

The ones who point out the delicious meal.

The beautiful sky.

The stranger helping someone across the street.

Or the countless opportunities right in front of us that most overlook.

These things are happening all the time, but they slip past us when we’re distracted.

Part of living as though most people are awesome is choosing to be the person who spots these moments and says, “Look at that. That matters.”

The more we highlight what is right with the world?

The harder it is for everything is terrible to feel like the only story.

None of this means that some humans can’t and won’t do terrible things.

Groups can slide into the type of cruelty that individuals would never choose alone.

Especially when fear, propaganda, and “us versus them” stories start to crank up.

Systems that encourage greed, blind obedience and aggression push ordinary people toward harmful behaviour because they reward negative traits instead of positive ones.​

At the same time, when researchers study everyday personality and behaviour across cultures?

They keep finding familiar traits.

Warmth and agreeableness.

A preference for fairness and a desire to be seen as a good person.

A decent person in a bad system can still participate in bad outcomes.

Which says more about context and incentives than it does about some deep craving to be cruel.

That’s why working on better systems, healthier norms and clearer boundaries matters so much.

It gives ordinary people more room to act on the part of themselves that already wants to do right.​

Putting it simply?

Seeing most people as awesome is choosing the lens that helps you stay sane and connected.

Grounded optimism (hope that is rooted in reality instead of naive fantasy) is fundamentally better for us.

It’s linked to better mental and physical health, more resilience under stress and more flexible problem-solving.

All good things.

People who expect at least some good from others are more likely to reach out, collaborate and keep trying to improve broken systems.

Instead of sliding into the effortless and pointless “why bother?”​

There is a twist, though.

Humans also carry an “optimism bias.”

A tendency to assume things will go better for us than they sometimes do.

That’s why the sweet spot is clear-eyed optimism.

Start by assuming most people are capable of good.

But remember that some situations and some individuals are genuinely unsafe.

In these situations, use boundaries and make careful choices instead of trusting completely.

It’s absolutely possible to remain hopeful and still say no.

To see the best in people and still walk away when their actions consistently contradict that belief.

Want to see the world as a place filled with (mostly) amazing people?

Here are some ways to do it without being naive or overly positive:

Curate your inputs: Being informed is useful. Being flooded is not. A constant drip of outrage doesn’t make you wiser or more caring, it makes you tired and suspicious. Not pretending bad things don’t happen but refusing to let an endless outrage stream convince you that “awful” is the whole story.

In many ways, this newsletter is anti–rage bait. No manufactured fury, no cheap shots for clicks, just substance, context and a stubborn belief in people.​

Make tiny kindness a habit: Small acts of kindness carry surprising weight. Hold the door. Offer directions. Send the encouraging voice note instead of disappearing into your feed for another fifteen minutes.

These moments won’t change the world in a headline sense, but they send a powerful message to people around you, “This is how we do things here.”​

Notice and share the good: This is crucial. Train yourself to catch the moments most ignore. The small kindness, the great coffee, the beautiful day, the opportunity you almost walked past. Say it out loud. Share it with a friend. Put it in a message instead of another complaint.

You are not being naive. You’re balancing the constant stream of what is wrong with a steady drip of what is right.

Build your circle: You don’t need to collect friends like they’re Pokemon cards. You need a handful of people you can count on and who can count on you. Invest in a small circle of great people. The ones who text back, show up, tell you the truth kindly and take your feelings seriously. This will do more for your faith in humanity than any global statistic ever will.

If you’re not sure where to start, think of two or three people who make you feel more like yourself after you talk to them. These are your people.​

Lead with warmth, backed by boundaries (and common sense): It’s completely possible to walk into interactions assuming goodwill and still keep your eyes open. Lead with respect. Listen first. Give people a chance to show you who they are.

Grounded optimism is trust plus boundaries, not trust instead of boundaries.​

Assuming that people are awesome transforms the way you engage with the world.

You start talking to the best in people, not the worst.

You notice and name small positive acts instead of letting them fade into the background.

You design your own choices.

How you speak, how you listen and how you react under stress.

It’s as if your behaviour is part of the majority rather than some rare exception.

Yes, humans are messy, imperfect and absolutely capable of harm.

Yet when given a sense of calm and some and breathing room?

We lean toward care.

We at least try to do the right thing, even if we miss the mark sometimes.

Treating this as the norm is not naive.

It’s a decision about the kind of world you want to help reinforce.

When you choose to see most people as awesome, you give them a chance to show you that they are.

You’re shaping reality one conversation, one decision, one small act of everyday awesomeness at a time.

Because in the end, right is right even if nobody is doing it.

And wrong is wrong, even if everybody is doing it.

We’re better than this and we’re also better than we often choose to remember.

Sometimes a poem can say in a few lines what takes me pages to unpack.

This one does exactly that:

The first thing people notice about Dick Van Dyke is the joy.

His twinkling eyes, loose-limbed dancing and an easy laugh that seems to belong to someone decades younger.

Yet behind that joy is a long life shaped by real struggles, deliberate optimism and a stubborn refusal to stop moving.

Physically, emotionally and creatively.​

Long before the bright lights, Dick grew up in the Midwest.

In a small town where resourcefulness and hard work were part of daily life.​

He found his way into entertainment through local performances and early radio/television work.

Often juggling different jobs and taking whatever opportunity let him stay within touching distance of the stage.​

Those early years taught him persistence, adaptability and the importance of always showing up with energy.

Even when the circumstances were far from glamorous.​

That mix of humility and hustle later showed up in his on-screen charm and in the way he approached his challenges off-screen.​

Van Dyke celebrated his 100th birthday yesterday.

And yet, he still talks about life as something to lean into with curiosity and play.​

His story matters because it shows optimism as a daily practice.

Especially when navigating some of life’s toughest battles.

Addiction, loss, aging and the loneliness that can come with outliving so many of your peers.​

Many of us know him from Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Today though, his most powerful legacy is something else entriely.

It’s how he models growing older with optimism, intention and a playful courage.​

At the height of his fame, Van Dyke was quietly battling alcoholism.

He has spoken at length about turning toward alcohol to manage his shyness and social anxiety, relying on it until it started to seriously affect his health.​

In the early 1970s, he checked himself into a hospital for treatment and began working toward sobriety.​

That choice?

To step out from behind his polished image and ask for help is a brave move.

And an important part of why his story carries so much weight.​

Van Dyke often credits his long, full life to three simple things.

Staying active, staying curious and deliberately focusing on joy.​

He keeps himself moving via regular exercise and his creative work while using humour and playfulness as tools to get through difficult days.​

He also acknowledges the hard parts of aging.

Losing friends, losing colleagues and facing the aches and limitations that come with the territory.

But instead of retreating and given in to time itself?

He keeps making new connections and saying yes to life.

Reminding us that attitude and your daily choices shape how the later chapters can feel.​

A few simple ways to bring his approach into everyday life:

For anyone curious about his approach to life and mindset, his recent book expands on these ideas in more detail.

You’ll find a review in the next section.

Dick Van Dyke is someone who chose to keep dancing through life’s dark seasons . He chose to show up fully, keep moving and keep saying yes to life.​

While this won’t always erase the pain, it shows us what it looks like to carry it with grace (and a bit of mischief).​

The invitation for the rest of us is simple.

Where in your life could you “keep moving” instead of freezing or quietly giving up on something that still matters to you?

Give it a try.

Take a ten-minute walk.

Listen to a favourite song you might actually dance to.

Call that someone you’ve been meaning to reconnect with.

And notice how that small bit of motion shifts your outlook, even slightly.

If you’d like to catch his spirit in real time, this short interview shows his warmth, humour and optimistic attitude beautifully:

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Dick Van Dyke reached 100 years of age yesterday with the same spark in his eyes that we’ve always admired.

Over the years his infectious energy and timeless charm have inspired so many.

It’s hard not to wonder what he’s doing that the rest of us can learn from.

His new book, 100 Rules for Living to 100, feels like being invited inside that question.

It’s less like a celebrity memoir and more like sitting down with a very sharp and funny grandfather who’s honest about the hard stuff and still convinced life is worth leaning into.​

If anyone has earned the right to write a guide to joyful aging, it’s him.

This is the kind of book you want within arms reach when you need a little boost.

It’s a mindset book dressed up as a list of rules.

Each rule is really a short, conversational reflection rooted in his personal experience.

Little moments and memories he shifts into prompts about movement, attitude, relationships, humour, creativity and asking for help when you need it.

If you’ve ever looked at someone aging well and wondered what’s happening behind the scenes?

This book connects the dots between long-term health and the daily choices that deliver it.

It’s also an easy read to dip in and out of.

You can flick through a few rules in the morning or just flip to a random page when you need a reset.

The tone is light, but the themes (sobriety, grief, aging, staying useful to others) run deep enough to make it feel like a companion you need close by.​

Because you’ve already seen his story and philosophy in action above, this book works as a kind of “behind the scenes” to the Dick Van Dyke you know from interviews and past work.

Instead of retelling the same anecdotes, he focuses on what he’s learned from them.

How he thinks about getting older.

Why he still takes creative risks.

And what keeps him interested in tomorrow.​

There’s also a humility to it.

He doesn’t deliver rules from a pedestal, more like notes from someone who’s tried things, gotten it wrong plenty of times, and stayed curious anyway.

I love people like this.

The mix of light touch, real struggle and practical optimism keeps it from feeling preachy or sentimental and lets you take what resonates without feeling judged.​

Exactly how I try to write myself.

That’s it.

Movement, curiosity, honesty and joy.

Super simple and incredibly effective.

If our earlier glimpse of Dick Van Dyke’s life showed us how he’s chosen to live?

100 Rules for Living to 100 gives language to the mindset behind it all.

It reads like a useful guide for staying light on your feet (physically and emotionally) as the years stack up.

If you’re looking for something that leaves you more hopeful about aging, more motivated to keep moving and more willing to find the joke in a heavy week?

This book is a pretty wonderful place to spend some time.

Please share; I'm always keen for great suggestions.

Spike Milligan’s poem captures something beautifully simple.

One small smile can set off a chain reaction.

You’ve probably felt it yourself.

A stranger smiles at you, you smile back without really thinking, and suddenly the moment feels a bit lighter.

A smile seems small, but it can change the whole feel of a room.

It softens tension, breaks the ice and reminds people they’re seen.

It’s a simple type of everyday magic that’s available to you any time.

A genuine smile does more than look friendly.

It signals safety and warmth and our brain is wired to respond to those cues.

Many studies indicate that smiling can lift your mood even if you start out by forcing it.

Because it nudges your body to release feel‑good chemicals and relax a little.

Go on, try it.

It also opens the door to connection.

People are more likely to approach or chat with someone who they percieve as kind and approachable.

While stress, rushing and distraction have become the norm, a simple smile can disrupt this pattern and remind others (and you) that there’s still joy to be found.​

It’s also way more fun.

The more attention we give to these tiny exchanges, the clearer it becomes that smiles are anything but small.

They’re invitations.

To hope, to comfort, or just to a brief moment of shared humanity in the middle of a busy day.

This week, notice where you can offer one.

For others or even to yourself in the mirror.

A single smile might be the simplest thing you give away.

But it’s ripple may travel further than you’ll ever know.

Transform your daily routine with my specially crafted gratitude journal.

Start (or end) each day with a moment of reflection and positivity.

As you develop daily your gratitude, you're also helping grant wishes to children facing critical illnesses.

It's a powerful cycle of hope and optimism.

🌟 What's Inside:

Ready to embrace the power of gratitude?

Click here to order a copy now!

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