Are you a "glass is half full" or rather a "glass is half empty" kind of person? At Coopers, we always try to keep a positive can-do attitude and see the glass as half full. Especially in challenging times, like right now in this pandemic, that can take a lot of strength and resilience. A good keyword, resilience. "The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties" is how it's defined in the online dictionary. We have come across a little trick that supports the recovery of the current difficulties and get to start the day with a positive mindset. Our Marketing Specialist Elena D'Cruz has tested it for two weeks and is quite excited about it. And it's as simple as this:
Invest 2 minutes every morning for a happier day
Natural disasters, accidents or other tragic events – the news broadcast many negative messages. Since our brain is evolutionarily wired to focus on the negative, the dreariness tends to overshadow positive events. Therefore, it's important to actively focus on them. Prime your brain for positivity by completing the following three sentences each morning:
1) I will let go of
2) I am grateful for
3) I will focus on
Why it works
It's a science-based approach; author Neil Pasricha, also known as Captain Awesome, explains in more detail how he came up with it in his book as well as in this article.
I will let go – If we have fewer regrets, we are more content. When we verbalize what grieves us, we can let go of worries faster. To do so, it's important to be specific, for example, "I'm letting go of the anger that I haven't called my parents in two weeks."
I am grateful for – Write down what we are grateful for makes us happier and physically healthier. Again, be as specific as possible! Instead of "for my family," better write "for lunch with my friend Amir" or "for the beautiful sunset over the snowy landscape."
I will focus on – Who doesn't know it, the fog of "what should I do next?". For us humans, making decisions is exhausting; it burns energy. By breaking down large projects and dividing them into manageable tasks, we keep track of what we need to do and stay motivated. Again, be specific: "today I'm going to write 500 words" or "today I'm going to walk for 20 minutes" (instead of "exercise more").
For us recruiters, a day could look like this:
I will let go of the anger that a candidate dropped out unexpectedly.
I am grateful for the nice feedback from my client XY.
I will focus on calling three candidates about job XY, today.
It works across all industries, hierarchy levels, and both within a personal and professional framework.
And the conclusion of our test person Elena? Positive! "I quickly became a fan of this routine! It seems somewhat insignificant, but an effect sets in. I start the day much more upbeat. I know where I stand and where I want to go. Sometimes I fill it out alone, sometimes with my family at the breakfast table. It's good for all of us."
The beauty of this practice is that it costs no more than about two minutes in the morning. So, there is really nothing to lose, only to gain. In other words: it's an investment without risk. If that doesn't make us happy, we don't know what could.
Have you already tested it? Or do you have another good-vibes routine? Go ahead and tell us, we are open and curious about your experiences.
Your Coopers Team
Photo by Good Good Good on Unsplash
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