If you’re anything like me —and the majority of humans out there— you spend a lot of time flagellating yourself for your mistakes and mishaps, while your wins remain largely unacknowledged.
It’s obviously important to learn from your mistakes, but let’s face it, nothing good ever came from ruminating on them for days (and even years) on end. If you really want to be successful, you need to focus on what’s going right.
For many people, this doesn’t come easy. Luckily, Friday is Everything You Do is Right Day. Think about it, for 24 hours you’re free to pat yourself on the back as much as you like.
Don’t just leave it at that, though. The idea is to get into the habit of focusing on what’s going right until it becomes second nature. It takes effort, especially in the beginning, but eventually you’ll be able to overcome your brain’s obsession with negativity entirely.
WHY FOCUS ON WHAT’S GOING WELL?
Aside from it being more pleasant to focus on what’s going well, you need to remember that energy flows where attention goes. If that’s a little too ‘Law of Attraction’ for you, then consider the wise words of Henry Ford, who said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t —you’re right.”
Put another way, if you focus on your failures, that’s all you’ll see. By all means, take a moment to learn from them. But then toss them aside and look to your wins for inspiration and guidance.
CELEBRATE THOSE SMALL WINS
Setting big goals is a great way to stay motivated and ensure you don’t stagnate. Achieving them requires focus and dedication, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of everything else. It’s important to celebrate the small wins you experience en route, because always looking ahead can rob you of your energy.
Noticing and celebrating those small wins will increase your sense of self-worth and ultimately make you happier, as well. So how do you do that when you’re programmed to see only what’s wrong?
Unless you have a spectacularly bad day (we all have them), there are going to be things you did well. Maybe you indulged in a slice of birthday cake at the office, but you also started your day with a healthy breakfast.
Perhaps you didn’t make it to the gym this morning, but you did manage a walk after work. You spoke up at a meeting instead of keeping quiet like you usually do. You didn’t take your grumpy mood out on your spouse. You completed your assignment ahead of schedule.
They may not seem like a big deal, but each of these things resembles a way in which you’re getting better at life. Nobody is perfect, so rather than dwell on the negative, take the time to celebrate the things you do right. You’ll be surprised by how many there are.
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