Optimism permits you to dream big. Today I am joined by Jess Ekstrom, founder and CEO of Headbands of Hope, an expert in optimism and the author of Chasing the Bright Side. Jess came on to share her realization that bad things can happen to anyone, and why, despite knowing this, she chooses to look at the bright side of life. She shares how you can choose to live in the fear of the unknown or live in the excitement of the possibilities of what could happen. She also dives into why she’d rather try and fail than to regret never trying, and why you should give yourself permission to take small steps toward your dreams.  What’s In This Episode:   Why Jess came to the realization that anything can happen Deciding between the fear of the unknown or living in the excitement of possibility Jess’s thoughts on why she’d rather fail than never try Giving yourself permission to make the small steps toward your goals Staying optimistic and Jess’s belief of what could happen if everything worked out