Three Good Things

The moods and energy levels of everyone in my house vary widely depending on the time of day. Some of us are chipper and cheery in the morning, some wildly exuberant in the evening – usually to the dismay of the opposite types. Cheery dad trying to communicate at 8am with grouchy teenager? No bueno. Energetic kids vying for my attention, wishing for me to match their enthusiasm at 9pm? I’m told I’m a huge grouch. While each of us has our own rhythms to our days that are what they are, I think I can implement a new strategy to erase the “Grump Mom” label and find a way to savor the end of the day with my family. Enter – Three Good Things.

I’m already working through the 30 Day Habits Reboot and have my daily morning writing practice (Gratitudes, Ignorant List, daily blog post, daily love letter), but I don’t have an evening practice to bookend my day with. This is it!

This exercise comes from Greater Good Science Center, hosts of The Science of Happiness podcast. It takes just a few minutes each day, right at the end of the day. Do it alone or with others, whatever seems most valuable to you. The important part is to physically write it down.

Here is the HOW TO, but open this link to see more about the WHY.

My Three Good Things Plan

I intend to do this not only for myself, but together with my family. Since physically putting pen to paper is an important part of making it the most impactful, it will have the added bonus of being a good time sit and practice writing with my youngest. Maybe we will decide to make a book, collecting all of the pages and guaranteed illustrations together!

Bonus For Everyone

It is easy to get caught up in the drama of our days, zoomed in and missing the big picture, blind to the beautiful things happening around us all day. Doing this exercise not only brings them to our attention at the end of the day as we look back upon the day, but it brings with it an all-day-long awareness. Will you find yourself noticing the good things in the moment? I think so. This will minimize the impact of the not-so-good and leave less room for wallowing in negativity.

Mental Reverse Clause

Never expect to fail, but always plan for it. The fastest way to get back on track is to have a plan for when you’re off it.
– James Clear

The Stoics speak of having a mental reverse clause. At first this seems doom and gloom, but it is actually a useful tool when applied carefully. The idea is to aim for the best, but have a plan for if/when things don’t go as planned. Aim for Plan A, but have a solid Plan B. Obstacles are inevitable, so having a mental reverse clause saves us from the anguish of upset when they arise. This is harnessing the power to redirect your path when the inevitability of Murphy’s Law surfaces – “If anything can go wrong, it will.” Apply this to your thinking each day, the negatives and the positives, then ask – how does this change my perception of my three good things?

This is why we say that nothing happens to the wise person contrary to their expectations.
– SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 13.3b