Tired of feeling like you’ll never be content?

Try this quick exercise:

1. Take out a pen/paper and spend the next 60 seconds listing everything in life you consider a blessing. Include whatever pops into your head. (Individual family members, homes, friends, careers, clothes, food, etc.)
2. Flip the page and document the things in your life that aren’t going well. (If you’re like me, the second list is a fraction the size of the first.)
3. Put a star next to the 3 items that frequently occupy your mind the most.

Did you put a star next to anything in the first (gratitude) list?
 
Don’t beat yourself up, if the answer is “no”, you’re not alone.
 
We tend to focus most of our energy on the things going wrong despite the fact that the good FAR outweighs the bad.
 
There are dozens (if not hundreds, maybe thousands) of books/podcasts/webinars/etc. discussing this challenge. It’s a known issue.
 
Unfortunately, the solutions (motivational screen savers, random prayers, gratitude journal, etc. ) usually don’t seem to make a meaningful difference.
 
The good news is, fixing the issue isn’t complicated. The bad news is, it’s not easy or quick. 
 
Think of your brain like a computer. It takes in information and uses this data to shape your opinions, behavior, and mood. 

Further, there’s only two ways that something can get into your brain: your eyes and your ears.
 
Most people fill their brains with negativity (TV, social media, complaining peers, etc.) and every now and then sprinkle in a grateful thought.
 
Assuming the inputs of negative to grateful are 10 to 1 (probably more like 100 to 1), it’s easy to see why we tend to focus on what’s broken in the world.
 
Changing your perspective is one of the most difficult challenges you’ll ever face. It makes the Keto diet or training for a marathon look easy.
 
But, there’s no better gift you can give yourself – or those you love – than an improved outlook.