If we don’t reach out for the goodness in people, we will drown in negativity.
We’ve all been deeply affected by the recent tragedies of natural disasters and planned terror. How can it not make us feel helpless and keep us up at night? I’ve learned that it’s important for us to focus on the humanity, goodness and kindness of people helping one another, rather than the evil that we can’t control or understand. Though it’s sometimes hard to find the positive, but if we keep our minds open, it can be found.
Look for the Helpers
I always think back to the lessons of my childhood “guru” Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. He said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
Watching interviews with victims of the recent Las Vegas shootings, the survivors and witnesses didn’t dwell on the horrors, they talked about the goodness of the helpers.
Find The Smallest Moment of Goodness
“Yeah Dave” Romanelli explains that finding even the smallest moment of goodness helps. “There is a study by Ed Diener, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, that shows that happiness comes from the frequency of positive experiences, not the intensity of positive experiences. In other words, true happiness and stress relief come from carving out little moments of peace and pleasure throughout your day. These moments don’t take a lot of time or money. They take the discipline to push back from your desk and focus on the little things. I have a mantra: A beautiful, funny, and delicious moment each day keeps the stress away.”
Looking for more ways to find calm amidst the chaos? There’s good advice in Jim’s book Soothe.
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