It\u2019s easy to lose perspective if you immerse yourself in the river of daily news. Things appear to be bad\u2014and getting worse! The end of the world as we know it is right around the corner.<\/p>\n\n
The media profit from our fear and anxiety, which is exactly why I stopped watching television news<\/a>. It provides an incomplete picture at best. But things are not always what they seem.<\/p>\n Just consider the previous century. We\u2019re all aware of the terrible wars, crippling epidemics, and destructive storms. But, as Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler explain in their book, Abundance: Why the Future is Better Than You Think<\/a><\/em>, progress is made even in the worst of times.<\/p>\n \n [T]his period \u2026 saw infant mortality decrease by 90 percent, maternal mortality decrease by 99 percent, and, overall, human lifespan increase by more than 100 percent\u2026. [E]ven the poorest Americans have access to a telephone, television, and a flush toilet\u2014three luxuries that even the wealthiest couldn\u2019t imagine at the turn of the last [19th<\/sup>] century.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Based on dozens of metrics measuring health, wealth, and human thriving, \u201cglobal living standards will continue to improve regardless of the horrors that dominate the headlines.\u201d Here\u2019s a simple but honest question: How much of our fear and anxiety is driven by cameras pointing the wrong direction?<\/p>\n But we don\u2019t need the news and history to make the point, do we? Our own lives are full of setbacks and crises that can steal our perspective.<\/p>\n This is something important for us to remember as leaders. Even in the midst of setbacks and failures, we make progress\u2014if we maintain perspective. We don\u2019t want to stick our heads in the sand and act like bad things never happen. They do. But good things also happen\u2014on the global stage and day-to-day.<\/p>\n