Staying Positive on a Daily Basis- A Helpful Hint

In a business meeting of trusted advisors last Thursday, a highly intelligent PhD colleague mentioned that he was challenged with staying positive on a daily basis. I suggested turning off the news completely. It is just filled with negative, horrible, "Chicken Little"-type information anyway, so shut it off and you will get, and stay, positive. He said the problem with that is his business relies on his basic knowledge of what's going on in the world, so he cannot separate himself from it completely. A solution was suggested: During the morning and early afternoon hours, watch, listen and read no news. Instead listen to your favorite music or do something else that makes you feel good. Only on your way home, or sometime after 4:00 PM, catch up on what most consider "the news of the day." If something catastrophic in the world happens before 4:00 PM, you will hear about it via word of mouth anyway.

I tried that suggestion yesterday. On my morning drive to my first appointment, I found myself turning on a news station on the radio. Remembering the idea, I turned it off and changed to a comedy CD my son gave me for Father's Day. That morning laugh set the tone for the rest of the day. I did listen to the news after 4:00 PM and noticed that I didn't miss much in the way of news. My day ended up not only positive, but one of the most enjoyable days I've had in a long time.

Try this simple change in your routine. Please let me know how it works for you!