The Grate(ful) Escape

For the past week, I've been sending myself a daily email that contains three things for which I'm grateful. I don't do this because I need more email. (All set with credit score offers and discount Viagra, thanks.) No, I'm attempting to re-train my brain as suggested by happiness expert Shawn Achor (@shawnachor). I've been listening to his outstanding book The Happiness Advantage in which he shared a simple but powerful suggestion: make a point to acknowledge positive things around you, and you're more likely to notice even more of the positive things that already surround you more often. (Kind of like when I shaved my head and then started noticing all the other bald guys out there, but without the sobbing.)

If my Neanderthal email-based approach seems too "2010" for you, feel free to check out Catch.com's free I Journal app. Or go analog and jot down your Daily 3 in a real live paper journal. (They still make them. I Googled it.) The point is to take a moment every day (for me, first thing in the AM) and make a note of those big or small things you appreciate in life. It may sound simple, but after only a week, I feel that I've already begun to open up to the positive possibilities around me. Thanks to a recurring Google Calendar alert, I hope to stick with my happy new habit.

Want to give it a go for yourself? HMU (Mom, that means "hit me up") on the GGW Facebook Page and let's compare notes on our experiences. Best wishes for your advantageous happiness.