I want to preface this by saying that I am a lover of my family, friends, and life in general. I have always tried to appreciate the beauty in anything and everything. That being said, I went through a relatively rough patch in my life last semester. This is completely normal, but I was in a place where I felt as if nothing could lift me up and bring back my constant positive energy.
By some stroke of luck, I stumbled upon this TED Talk. I encourage all of my readers to watch this, but in case you don’t, I’ll provide a short summary. Essentially, the speaker, Shawn Achor, delves into experiences within his own life that have been more on the negative side. In said situations, he has learned and eventually studied at Harvard, the power of positive psychology and how it can be applied to day-to-day life. He has found that raising an individual’s level of positivity puts them at a happiness advantage, which is a point at which one’s brain performs significantly better than it does when the person is in a state of negativity, stress, or even neutrality.
Skipping to my point, Achor mentioned something that I didn’t know was realistically doable until I tried it out: it is in fact possible to train the human brain to be more positive. I followed Achor’s message and went on a 21-day journey to achieving my own happiness advantage. Every day, I incorporated meditation, a random act of kindness, a journal entry, and three things that I was grateful for.
Prior to this challenge, I was so accustomed to complaints casually rolling off the tip of my tongue on a daily basis, even if I wasn’t in a particularly bad mood. “Ugh, I had to get up early for class this morning.” “The weather is so disgusting today.” “This person didn’t text me.” It’s so common, even subconsciously, to utter complaints throughout the day. Now I am not saying that it’s possible to go an entire day without saying something even slightly negative, but I am emphasizing how much healthier and happier you’ll feel if you try to rewire your brain on the side of positivity.
With what I know now, the aforementioned examples of negative phrases I’d utter daily would sound more like this: “I got up early for class this morning, so now I get to accomplish more throughout the day because I’ll have more time than if I woke up late,” “It’s raining outside today, so I think I’ll use that as an excuse to sit in Starbucks with a nice, warm drink and get some studying done,” and “This person didn’t text me, so I’m going to take the initiative.” It’s extremely important to at least try to put a positive spin on things, as you’ll feel better holistically.
To further elaborate on the actual challenge, here are the components:
List three things that you’re grateful for each day.
It may seem a bit intimidating to come up with three different things each day, but that is essentially the point. Things will come easy to you at first, but you’ll have to start thinking harder to find things to write. The harder you think, the easier it will be after the challenge for you to find things you’re grateful for.
Journaling.
Every day, write in detail about a positive experience that occurred in your life within the past 24 hours. Not only will you be able to look back on these and smile at the good things that happened to you, but it will help you to find positivity in most aspects of your day-to-day life once the challenge is completed.
Meditation.
Meditation helps with focus and relaxation.
Exercise.
Even if it’s a short walk, putting in the effort to take care of your body is such a positive and healthy experience for both the body and the mind.
Random acts of kindness.
This goes without saying; doing something good for someone else will not only make them feel good, but you’ll feel great for doing it as well. This will come naturally after a while, and people will notice your positivity.
The lessons I learned from partaking in this challenge are ones I will carry with me throughout the rest of my life. Those around me have noticed a complete change in my overall behavior, and I’ve encouraged some of my friends and family to try this challenge to better themselves. It is so important to be optimistic and to radiate positivity to those around you. I hope that those of you reading this consider partaking in this challenge and sharing your results as well!
