Want to be more positive? Here is a habit to get you started

I have the BBC World News app on my phone, in case anything important happens. One day, I woke up, checked the time and what do I see?

Notification: A bomb exploded, many fatalities reported.

What a way to start the day.

Peter Diamandis and other smart people say that you should not watch news because of the endless stream of negativity. I agree.

What are some things you can see in the news?

Millions of dollars down the drain somewhere, conflicts somewhere else, ice caps melting, a person dying… That’s just a sample.

What do these have in common?

There isn’t much you can do about them. Helplessness, pessimism, and more negativity are the syndroms of news.

How not go down the spiral of negativity?

Look for the positive. The gems in news, on the web, and most importantly, in life.

I have a simple habit to help with being positive. Every day, before I go to bed I find 3 things I’m grateful for. 3 things that happened that day that were beautiful in some way.

I’m often grateful for moments with my family and friends. I’m grateful for breathtaking sunsets I get to see. I’m grateful for new ideas that have potential to help people.

But some days, I have trouble seeing the beauty. I stop myself. In every single day there are at least 3 moments to be grateful for. In every day. I keep looking until I find them and see them in my minds eye. I re-live them and smile.

With negativity collected from all corners of the world, we need to remain positive more than ever. Positivity is a habit and finding 3 things to be grateful for is one way to cultivate it.

What are the 3 things you are grateful for today?

PS: I use an app called Productive to not miss a day. I’m sure there are many other apps, this one is simple and works for me.