Remember The Good Things Habit

When you get asked “how are you,” how do you respond?  Do you paste a smile on your face while you think about the gloomy weather, the garbage bag that broke this morning, and your cold cup of coffee, replying with something, not at all true?  “Fine, thanks.”  It’s not your fault.  We have all been conditioned to respond this way.  It’s safe.  But, there is a better way.

I received a button once, from a mentor.  It said, “tell me something good.”  It’s funny how that simple phrase changed my thinking.  When she asked me directly, I could no longer rely on my old habit of pasting a smile on my face and reciting “fine” while my heart flipped upside-down thinking of all the hardships and struggles, I am enduring.  Instead, the response to her question required gratitude.  And I wasn’t ready for it.

That’s right, gratitude doesn’t just happen.  Even now, there are times that it is hard to say something good.  The reason?  I’m not focused on good. I am focused on problems, and struggles, and gloomy weather and stoplights, and …. you get the point.

Thanks to Jana, I have a simple habit that reminds me to be grateful. I’ve stopped asking people how they are.  Now, I ask everyone to “tell me something good.”  It’s interesting to watch people’s faces as they wrestle with the question.  Try it out. It will change you too.

Now, leave a comment. Tell me something good!