We asked folks whose job it is to make the world a better place: How do you find the inner strength to keep plugging away in tough times? And what advice do you have for fledgling activists?

We found joy in mail-order chicks, soothing lullabies, a celebration of long-lasting love, the magic touch that can calm a grumpy child (and even a stressed out adult) and beach day in Mogadishu.

That's a community-wide game Edgard Gouveia remembers from his boyhood in Brazil — and uses as a model in his efforts to heal the world through gameplay.

Nassim Haddad has seen his share of disaster and loss. At 79, he says of his philosophy: "I start again from the beginning. I start from zero. I [am not] afraid from anything."

From watching the sun rise — yeah, it's a cliche but it works! — to dancing to techno music to doing good for others to just plain smiling, readers share what gives them optimism in times of trouble.

They're activist and advocates from Brazil, Colombia, India, Kenya, Lesotho and the U.S. We wanted to know: How do they stay positive in the face of the world's many problems and woes?

The authors of the "Global Burden of Disease" report track the toll from every conceivable cause of death or disability. This year they also share intriguing solutions that give cause for optimism.