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What if you ended your day focusing on the wins instead of the worries? If today is sucking, try swapping your ‘to-do’ list for a ‘life rocks!’ list and notice what it does for your energy and optimism.
The Experiment
Tonight, list 10 things you’re grateful for before bed.
The catch? No generalities allowed. Instead of “my health,” write, “being able to touch my toes in yoga (finally!)”. Swap “my family” for “I didn’t want to kill my teenager tonight. It’s a mid-week miracle!”
No ‘win’ too small. Glory in the detail – it’s the micro-moments that matter.
Repeat this daily for a week: does your focus sharpen to the small joys you might otherwise miss? The gifts you take for granted?
Treat yourself to a beautiful notebook, so you feel grateful just opening it!
Why Try It
- The discipline of listing 10 things forces your mind to scan the day for positives. Had a lousy day? Find the glimmers of gold amongst the grim.
- Gratitude thrives on the granular! Neuroscience tells us that focusing on specific, positive experiences activates the brain’s reward system (yum, dopamine…).
- Making it a daily practice rewires our brain to hone in on what’s going right. We’re building our brain’s positivity circuits, making optimism a habit.
- Avoiding vague generalities forces us to dig deeper – and mine for the diamond details and marvellous memories that too often get buried by the clutter of daily life!
- Writing your list, then closing your book on the day (and on a high!) improves sleep quality and reduces stress.
Want more?
In his book Big Potential, Shawn Achor shows how we can prime ourselves for optimism –
Over a six week study, employees asked to recount 3 positive events from their week reported significantly more happiness, energy and productivity.
Had a sh*t day? Take a page out of Pink’s book…