Adapted from a TEDX talk by Alison Ledgerwood called Getting Stuck in the Negative (and how to get unstuck)
It is essential to start any description as a glass half full rather than a glass half empty. Even as 60% successful rather than 40% unsuccessful because research shows that it is almost impossible to change a negative perception into a positive one even if we are talking about the same statistics .
We are naturally wired to search for bad stuff and we find it really difficult to get it out of our minds. Remember the stuff about one negative feedback comment requires 5 positive feedback comments to get us back to where we started?
We believe that sharing bad news and our bad experiences will help us in some way get rid of the bad shit. And we forget to talk about the good stuff. Remember also that behaviour breeds behaviour and so if we are grumpy this may affect others along the way for hours, days or even weeks.
And this is where our minds need the most practice. We can work to see the upside by:
- Writing for a few minutes each day about stuff that you are grateful for can seriously benefit your happiness, your wellbeing and even your health.
- Rehearse good news and share it with others.
- As a recipient of a torrent of negative stories from our partners or work colleagues, maybe from their day at work, we can possibly interject and ask “and what happened today that was good?”