On Noticing and Appreciating.

See below for a powerful technique to change the way you think. A reader sent this to me and I had to talk about it with you.

Our brains are wired to spot the negatives in a heartbeat. We need this to survive physically. Since we live as long as we do, we also need to work on surviving emotionally and mentally. This is where awareness comes in. What are we thinking? What patterns are functional and dysfunctional? Who are our greatest allies - shown to us by their actions?

It does take work to see positives, and the more we practice the easier it gets and the more fulfilled and appreciative we become. Even the most dire of happenings have silver linings.

One simple way of training our brains to look for the positives is to make a List of 100. What's a List of 100 positive traits about you? Or a List of 100 positive things in your life? Or a List of 100 resources and people and aide at your disposal? A List of 100 is hard, and rewarding. The quicker you get these 100 listed the quicker you experience real brain-change (kind of like taking an antibiotic as prescribed versus taking a pill every few days or a week). Working hard at this - trains your brain - and the more you look for positives the more you feel better as a whole.

Happy brain training. :)