Turn Off the TV: Good Stuff Happens More Than You Think

I'm not big on making resolutions for the new year. For one thing, January 1 is an arbitrary point in time. For another, resolutions for me are usually business or personal goals best established when needed and that's not usually on January 1. But this year is different. I'm thoroughly sick of all the bad news, so I'm reinstating an old practice.

When I started Douglas Partners I knew I was going to need a lot of support. It's daunting to start a business--I know, because this isn't my first. As someone close to me often reminds me, "if it were all that easy, a lot more people would be doing it."

One particularly bad stretch a couple of years ago when everything seemed to be falling apart, I started keeping a weekly list of everything that went right. Business successes were important, but I also included entries like "beautiful sunset today," "great idea about growing the business from Joe," and "Mary complimented on my article." I stuck the lists in the back of my planner and when I hit a rough patch, I'd pull them out and re-read them. They taught me two important lessons:

• Things aren't all that bad, and
  
• More good stuff happens than bad.

Or, to paraphrase Albert Einstein, it's all relative.

Try it for yourself: start your own Good Stuff list. Set your own criteria; "good" is highly subjective. Some days it may boil down to the kids not fighting or the dog not throwing up on the furniture. Stick with it for a few weeks and see how much good actually happens in your life.

And turn off that damn TV!