A recent coaching conversation went something like this:
Client: “I need coaching on how to talk with my wife when I come home from work. She wants me to rehash everything that happened at work, all the negative stuff that happened and how I handled it. I know she means well, but reliving all that bad stuff just sets me off and makes me angry all over again.”
Me: “So why don’t you just tell her about the good stuff that happened at work, all the successes you had and all the challenges you overcame?”
Client (after a moment of stunned silence): “Holy cow, I never thought of that!”
And that’s because we’re so conditioned by society, our parents, friends, authority figures, etc. to only look for the negative, to only focus on what DIDN’T work rather than what DID. It takes effort and real work and consciousness to be positive in today’s world, especially when we’re constantly bombarded by negativity. So here’s a suggestion (which I just got from a speaker I heard this evening). He said to always end each blog post with a homework assignment, so here’s yours:
1. Starting today, before you go to sleep, write down at least 10 things you’re appreciative of, grateful for and/or thankful for that happened today. I’ve been doing this for years, every night, and it helps me get to sleep with a big smile on my face. And it doesn’t matter how big or small the item is, just write it down (dark chocolate seems to make it on to my list quite regularly!).
2. Please leave a comment here on the website, along with your name and contact info. I want my readers to start to get to know one another, and hopefully do business with one another.