By Dayna Mason

As promised here is the follow-up to my article, “Transform Your Life This Lent: Stop Complaining, Practice Gratitude,” including the results of my 40 day fast from complaining.  

A funny thing happened a couple of days into this experiment … I saw a life-changing meme that suggested keeping a notes file on your phone titled, Good things are always happening to me. I implemented this suggestion a couple of days into my fast, and within a week my happiness level changed exponentially.

It’s crazy to think that something as simple as keeping a little log of good things that happen each day could cause such a transformation, but that’s the only thing I’ve done differently in the last month. I discovered that when you’re looking for the good, it doesn’t leave much room for complaining. And, not only have I stopped complaining, but good things are always happening to me.

“People say, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’ But the truth is, you’ll see it when you believe it.”

-Deepak Chopra

There’s a human tendency that psychology calls, “confirmation bias” which basically says we see what we believe or value. For example, if you’ve ever thought about buying a particular model of car, as soon as you decide you want to own one (value it), you’ll see them everywhere as if suddenly everyone has one. This is confirmation bias.

So, when I decided to look for good things happening to me, I saw them everywhere—the barista that remembered my name and brought my order to the table where I’d selected to write, the friend who offered their home for me to stay when I was in town, the stranger who let me go ahead of them in line because I only had one item to purchase, the friend who took over a large project for me when my regular service provider let me down, and the flight where I was given a second Biscoff cookie (which I love) because the attendant said with a smile, “You looked like you wanted another one.” I could go on and on. So many moments, daily, to add to my notes.

The magical thing about this is that the more I looked for good things, the more they showed up. Or at least I was aware of them more often. Either way, my experience was good things are always happening to me.

I’ve now formed a habit of looking for the good things, which has resulted in a shift in my experience. Instead of obsessing over things I don’t like, then feeling stuck and making myself miserable, I recognize the good moments throughout the day and regularly feel good in general, frequently thinking, “I’m so happy right now.”

Don’t get me wrong, I still get stressed by unexpected issues, but the tension doesn’t last as long, and I see solutions quicker. Overall, I’m happier and feel better about my life. I highly recommend giving this little practice a try. Start looking for the good things daily and see if in 30 days you come to believe that good things truly are always happening to you.