MORNING PRACTICE rest of my life . Over the next few years , I came across research that convinced me it wasn ’ t my fault .
WHAT DO I MEAN ?
It turns out our brains contain an almond-sized amygdala that secretes fight-or-flight hormones all day . A few hundred thousand years of evolutionary programming makes us want to stare at bad news , sad news , and controversial news — endlessly . This naturally ingrained tendency is why we rubberneck on the highway , scan for one-star reviews , and immediately find the one question we got wrong on the math test . Our amygdalas are fantastic at looking for problems , finding problems , and solving problems , but they ’ re also ripe for exploitation . News media and social media sites have perfected that perfect sour-sweet-sour combo that grabs the greatest amount of our attention possible .
MSNBC ’ s goal isn ’ t to give you the news — it ’ s to sell you Subarus . Instagram ’ s goal isn ’ t to make you new friends — it ’ s to sell you a juice cleanse .
I decided it wasn ’ t my fault I was negative . It was the world ’ s fault !
But , unfortunately , I live in the world .
So what did I do ? A study comparing people who wrote down gratitudes to people who wrote down hassles or events taught me that if I write down things I ’ m grateful for every week over a 10- week period , I ’ ll not only be happier , but physically healthier .
EACH DAY , I ADDED THIS TO THE BACK OF MY INDEX CARD :
I AM GRATEFUL FOR …
Do you do bicep curls ? Hamstring curls ? I started thinking of gratitudes as brain curls . The key is that they really need to be specific . Writing down things like “ my apartment , my mom , and my job ” over and over doesn ’ t do anything . I had to write down things like , “ the way the sunset looks over the purple hostel across the street ,” or “ when my mom dropped off leftover chicken biryani ,” or “ having egg salad sandwiches in the cafeteria today with Agostino .”
I was proud of my new morning index card habit , but I still found myself holding too much stress . Then I came across a study in Science magazine called “ Don ’ t Look Back in Anger !” showing that minimizing regrets as we age increases contentment . In other words , the act of sharing what ’ s worrying you actually helps extricate it .
SO I ADDED ONE FINAL LINE TO MY DAILY INDEX CARD :
I WILL LET GO OF …
I will let go of … the rude email I sent last night at 11 p . m . I will let go of … showing up late to the meeting with the boss . I will let go of … comparing myself to Tim Ferriss .
The difference this simple practice made in my life has been incredible .
Because the truth is we ’ re only awake for around 1000 minutes a day on average . If we can invest just two of them to prime our brains for positivity , then we ’ ll be helping ensure the other 998 minutes of our days are happier .
Over time , I switched the order around , turned it into a formal journal , and now leave it on my night table . When I wake up , it ’ s the first thing I see , and the fact that it ’ s so short helps me feel like I ’ m setting up my day for success before I even begin .
Am I completely cured ? Am I always happy now ? No ! Of course not . But this twominute , research-based morning practice has massively improved the quality of my days .
I will let go of … I am grateful for … I will focus on … I hope you give it a try . And I hope it does the same for you . +
Neil Pasricha is the New York Timesbestselling author of The Happiness Equation and The Book of Awesome series , which has been published in ten countries , spent over five years on bestseller lists , and sold over a million copies .
Pasricha is a Harvard MBA , one of the most popular TED speakers of all time , and after ten years heading Leadership Development at Walmart he now serves as Director of The Institute for Global Happiness . He has dedicated the past 15 years of his life to developing leaders , creating global programs inside the world ’ s largest companies and speaking to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe . He lives in Toronto with his wife and sons .
Neil . Blog . com
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