"Entrepreneurs of happiness and well-being."

Michael Strong began his discussion of peace through commerce with a phrase that stuck in my head- "entrepreneurs of happiness and well-being". While Michael was referring specifically to his experience as a charter school entrepreneur, he also encouraged all of us to consider our world-changing dreams in this context.

On that note, I thought it might be fun to explore a few more "entrepreneurs of happiness and well-being" that aim to improve how we feel about ourselves and the world. Let's call them optimism entrepreneurs for now.

Learning to Love You More (LTLYM) is a web site and a series of non-web presentations comprised of work made by the general public in response to assignments given by artists Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher. Patricipants accept an assignment, complete it by following the directions, send in ther required report (photo, text, video, etc.) and see their work posted online. LTLYM also awards grants to top submissions.

Like a recipe, meditation practice, or familiar song, the prescriptive nature of these assignments is intended to guide people towards their own experience. As an educational model which encourages people to draw on their own lives and intuitions as data, there is an enormous potential to broaden our horizons above and beyond our usual perspectives. How many ways we can learn from others! George provides his vision of the ideal government, while  Jeff Tuyay shares his picture of the sun (pictured above). In scrolling over all these different interpretations of the same "assignment" (i.e. "take a picture of the sun", for example), I am reminded of how much beauty and freedom there is to be gained from opening my mind, my eyes, and my life to the vision of others.

For more inspirations to do good and aim for happiness, don't miss the Five Minute Action Network or The Good News Network, where you can always find something positive to balance the over-reporting of negative news in our mainstream media.

Thanks to Darlene Charneco for info about LYLYM and Geraldine Weis-Corbley for appreciating Frank Zappa and creating the Good News Network.