Goodwill  - Think the best

Are you in the habit of attaching heavy significance to every little act or every person around you?

The way she said ‘Good Morning’ in the hallway this morning, the way the boss looked at me in the meeting, the way my daughter’s best friend’s mother just drove away from the school car park this morning with out saying hello, the way that person cut me off in traffic.

You’ll bring your energy down, bring their energy down and drive yourself nuts if you always assume the worst of others.

How about you think “She’s preoccupied with her day’s work” rather than “She is so rude” and why don’t you throw in a gift of good energy too?

 “I hope her day goes well”

It will cost you nothing and you will feel better, and so will she.

How about “The Boss is thinking hard about this, maybe he thinks I have something to contribute”

And

“She’s a great mum, I’ll ask her for a coffee sometime, perhaps we can be friends.”

And

“Oops, cut me off in traffic, we all make mistakes! I’ll take that on board as a reminder to be careful in my own driving.”

Or even better yet – don’t think anything at all.

Maybe it sounds Pollyanna – but you’ll feel better and you know what?  Negativity is just a bad habit, a fashionable bad habit, but just a habit, no more, no less. Change it. Think the best.

Here is a challenge for you:

Over the next three days deliberately cultivate goodwill, that is, think the best in any situation where you might have been tempted to react by assuming the worst in others. Catch yourself whenever you do assume the worst and re-script your reaction.

Journal your thoughts and feelings here. What difference do you notice? Does anyone else notice a difference in you?