TODAY - INCREASE YOUR AWARENESS OF THE POSITIVE

According to psychologist Rick Hanson, PhD., the human brain has a natural bias toward the negative “that makes it like Velcro for bad experiences but Teflon for good ones.” Though this is a deeply ingrained pattern, it can be changed by increasing awareness of the many positives which we encounter daily. In his book, Hardwiring Happiness, Dr. Hanson offers these suggestions for tuning in and creating positive experiences by:

• finding good facts in your current setting
  
• finding good facts in recent events
  
  
• finding good facts in ongoing conditions
  
• finding good facts in your personal qualities
  
• finding good facts in the past
  
• anticipating good facts in the future
  
• sharing the good with others
  
• finding the good in the bad
  
• imagining good facts
  
• producing good facts
  
• seeing life as opportunity
  

As we train ourselves to focus on the positive we are more likely to see that good things are all around – food which is affordable and plentiful, a home which keeps us cool in the summer and warm in the winter, our five senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing. Even if life is hard, there are still positives to focus on – the shining sun, the support of a friend, the comfort of a pet, the warm smile of a stranger.