Eight young adults stood outside in the sprinkling rain Tuesday waving signs — not protesting war, a health care bill or taxes — instead they're on a mission to promote positive thinking, no matter what your political bent.

Typical signs read “Love your life” or “Stay positive.”

“We had an overwhelming response to it,” mostly positive, said Nicholas Moore, a 22-year-old Mesa State College student who started the movement about two years ago.

While they enjoy the appreciative honks of passing cars, they don't mind the negative responses.

“Negative people, these are the people we want to plant a seed in,” said Moore's friend Jeff Montoya, 23.

Montoya said he can remember a time when he felt pessimistic.

These days, “my favorite saying is ‘it's a great day to be alive,'” Montoya said. “I'm big on smiles. Smiles are free.”

Moore, Montoya and friends place “Love” signs on telephone poles. They create “Stay Positive” bumper stickers, and T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing the same message.

They accept donations in exchange for bumper stickers and shirts, but mostly the expense comes out of their own pockets.

“Because it matters,” Moore said. “It's time for this message to become prominent. It's needed.”

Moore is an English major who works at the airport and the country club; Montoya, 23, was recently laid off of from his pipeline company job.

The group brought 5,000 hand-made signs to the Democratic National Convention hoping to give then-candidate Sen. Obama a “Stay Positive” sign. But they couldn't get into the convention.

However, a couple of weeks later Moore met Obama in Grand Junction at a campaign rally at Cross Orchards Living Farm, where after the then-senator's speech, Moore shook Obama's hand and gave him a “Stay Positive” sign.

“He looked at it and said ‘thank-you' and handed it to Secret Service,” Moore said.

When President Obama visited Grand Junction for the second time, speaking at Central High School in August, Moore was there again with his friends holding an 8-foot banner with the words “Stay Positive” as Obama's motorcade drove by.

“I saw him mouth the words ‘stay positive,'” Moore said.

Moore and Montoya also attended the Grand Junction rally for then-presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin.

After her speech, Moore and his friends were able to snag Palin's attention with a sign that said ‘smile' on one side and ‘laugh' on the other. Palin walked over and with a “huge smile” accepted the sign.

So how do they know if they're making a difference?

One day, Moore said he saw a tree in someone's yard with the words “stay posi” written on it. Later, he was showing the tree to friends and the woman who lived there happened to be sitting on her front porch.

The woman told Moore she'd been going through a hard time for a couple of years when she saw their signs and it helped her change her perspective.

“We all bounded out of the car and we've all been friends since then,” Moore said.

“It's a matter of being able to shift your mindset,” Moore said.

The group, which calls itself Meant 4 Movement, is hosting a Halloween costume party to raise money for a local breast cancer support group. For more information, contact Meant4Movement@StayPositiveNow.com.

Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.