Three Good Things
Three good things. That’s it. All you have to do is scan your day each evening and find them, write them down, and complete this short exercise to experience the positive benefits.
When it comes to rewiring our brains, we have to take action. However, it is best to think of small, daily exercises, that over time will have a lasting impact on our well-being. Cultivating positive emotions takes time and effort, especially if we have been stuck in a funk of negativity.
We pick up mental habits just like we pick up eating and other behavioral habits from our environment. Some of the habits we engage in every single day have been part of our lives for years, even decades. That doesn’t mean we should despair. Research has shown that we can change our brains for as long as we are alive.
Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Well, at least you can teach a brain new ones.
Just like beginning a new exercise routine, it is not in your best interest to over-do it. Small steps or “tiny tweaks” as psychologist Susan David calls them, help us to make progress towards our goals without the fear of failure looming over us. A small change involves little risk, and therefore, we are more likely to take up the challenge.
Three Good Things Exercise
That is where this exercise comes in. Every night, before bed, write down three good things that happened to you that day. It is important to write them down. Here are the steps.
Name what happened. (Joe called and we talked about my new job.)
Describe what happened, including as much detail as possible.
Describe how you felt then and now.
Explain why this was a good event-what caused it?
Your writing should be informal. Don’t worry about perfect anything, grammar, spelling, etc.
If your mind drifts to negative feelings, go back to focusing on the good feelings your three events generated.
(Get more in-depth details here.)
Shawn Achor author of The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life references the research around the Three Good Things exercise:
This exercise has staying power. One study found that participants who wrote down three good things each day for a week were happier and less depressed at the one-month, three-month, and six-month follow-ups. More amazing: Even after stopping the exercise, they remained significantly happier and showed higher levels of optimism. The better they got at scanning the world for good things to write down, the more good things they saw, without even trying, wherever they looked.
The Greater Good in Action website provides the exercise, the research behind it, and other helpful information. Go there for more details. Here is what the website says about why this exercise works:
“By giving you the space to focus on the positive, this practice teaches you to notice, remember, and savor the better things in life. It may prompt you to pay closer attention to positive events down the road and engage in them more fully—both in the moment and later on, when you can reminisce and share these experiences with others. Reflecting on the cause of the event may help attune you to the deeper sources of goodness in your life, fostering a mindset of gratitude.”
I know that since I have been focusing on Three Good Things, I sleep more peacefully. I go to bed in a good mood, and over time I have realized that I have more good in my life than I originally believed I had.
Tiny tweak: get a cheap notebook and start this 10 minute exercise tonight. In time, you will see positive results.
Books referenced in this post:
