Three Blessings

We usually have a tendency to focus on the things that are not going well in our lives, and we give little attention to the things that are. It might be human nature that makes us analyze things that go wrong a lot more than what goes right. Maybe this is simply because of our ancestors; those who didn’t have a care in the world enjoying the sunshine instead of using the time to prepare for a disaster that leads them not to survive the Ice Age!

To compensate, our brains got programmed to focus on the negative a lot more than the positive. Talk about a mindset that leads to frustration and depression, but you are not doomed to evolutionary misfortune, there is a way to help you rid of this negative cycle of thought.

The father of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman, suggests spending a few minutes every night before bedtime and writing three things that went well during your day and why it went well. It can be simple things such as your friend getting you coffee in the morning, or even more significant events such as your sister delivering a healthy baby. It is important to have three things documented daily in your journal from “what went well” and then next to it is the “why did this happen”. Using the example above, if you wrote my friend got me coffee this morning, your “why” can be “because she is a thoughtful friend.” or because “I asked her to, and she didn’t mind.”

This daily exercise might need some getting used to at first, but it is proven that if you stick to it, you will start to feel happier and addicted to this new and helpful habit of documentation. Personally, I started my own Three Blessings Journal, and this helped me be more aware of the different blessings in my life. And yes, I do feel more thankful, grateful, and happier.

You have nothing to lose except negativity and gaining happiness, I’m saying it is worth a try, don’t you think so?