It’s easy to get dragged down by all the upsetting news – natural disasters, the stock market, wars, terrorism…if you believe the news, we’re living in horrible times, worse than ever before in history.

But step back and think about it. We’re living in a time with a quality of life unimaginable through most of history. Most of us don’t have to worry about famine or disease. Our houses are filled with gadgets that would have been impossible or cost millions of dollars just a generation ago. Our vehicles are cleaner and more efficient than ever. We live in comfort. Our lives are long. Technology and medicine are advancing at an accelerating pace.

I’m a realist, and to me, realism means seeing both the bad and the good in the world. So I started a company, OurKudos, that’s focused purely on the positive. I wanted a place people could go to smile and forget about all the negative “stuff” going on, maybe just for a few minutes. My hope is that, by exposing people to good news, that maybe they’ll get an attitude adjustment. Maybe by learning about the good deeds being done by local heroes, they’ll feel different about the people in their lives and maybe even try to positively change something in their community.

So I bring you the first public showing of OurKudos’ first step into “social good” – OKCheers!