So I'm in an airport, on my way to keynote a conference on economic development.

And of course, I saw the latest news on the 'bailout', and the plunge in the Dow.

And so I went to look up the definition of being an optimist, to reassure myself:

• Optimist: 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome.

That's me! And my keynote is being adjusted on the fly before I get on stage tomorrow.

Here's the fascinating thing that is going on: I'm getting far more calls, and a lot of new business, from CEO's and senior executives who have determined that one of the ways to stay in front of this mess is to keep innovating. In other words, innovation -- adjusting business plans, tackling new markets, focusing on opportunity, seeking what to do next -- is now more important than ever before.

That's probably good news for the many folks who read this blog. There continues to be unparalleled opportunities out there. The short term might be rocky, but the longer term is very, very real.