Inspired by writer and artist Austin Kleon, I like to celebrate the turn of a new year by reflecting on all the good things that happened in the one I am finishing. I flip back through journals and photos on my phone to relive moments of joy and inspiration. I seek bright spots not only from my personal experience during the year, but also from the world in general. And I encourage you to do the same.
So here goes. Can you think of five good things that happened in your life in 2023? If you need inspiration, here are some of mine:
- To help a friend, I started volunteering at Open Door Cafe, a local pay what you can restaurant that addresses food insecurity in our community. It ended up being a great way to learn more about our community, acquire skills, make new friends, and fill a need for service work. I look forward to working more in 2024!
- In the summer, we visited my husband’s aunt, a woman who has given her life to serving the Hispanic community of Green Bay, WI. Melanie exudes joy and generosity, and everywhere we went with her, we witnessed her positive influence on the people around her. Her obvious love of life inspired all of us.
- I won a tightly contested school board election. I’m grateful not only for the win, but also for the outpouring of support from friends, family, and community members.
- My son moved to Alexandria, in Northern Virginia, and because of that, over the spring and summer we enjoyed visits filled with bike rides, museum wonderings, and excellent food. We also had multiple opportunities to reconnect with old friends.
How did you do with your list of good things? Did the ideas come quickly? Could you come up with at least five?
Let’s move on to the bigger picture. Can you think of five good things that happened in the world in 2023? Things that were, objectively, in the eyes of most people, capital G Good. With a bit of mental digging, I came up with two thoughts. First, the exciting news that scientists have developed a successful treatment for sickle cell anemia, a disease that affects red blood cells and causes significant pain. I once treated a young patient who suffered from sickle cell anemia, and I am so happy that scientists have made this breakthrough.
Another good news story was about 35 year old man who has developed a following on Tik Tok by sharing candid videos of teaching himself to read. Oliver James graduated from high school without being able to read, and during his 20s he spent time in jail for firearms dealing. But he is turning his life around, and part of that includes inspiring others by sharing his honest and humble journey to literacy on Tik Tok. Pretty cool! This story made the Word Nerd smile.
But after that, I couldn’t think of any more.
I consume a lot of news, and I like reading human interest stories, yet I struggled to think of another objectively “good thing” that happened in 2023. What is wrong with me? I’m sure good things happened, so why can’t I remember any?
I’d like to blame something called “negativity bias.” This is a psychological term to describe our tendency to give more importance and weight to negative experiences than to positive or neutral ones. According to a 2019 article on Healthline.com, people have a stronger reaction to negative experiences.
Scientists think this is based on genes handed down from our ancestors. To survive, early humans had to pay attention to negative things, like predators and natural hazards. By avoiding those threats, they lived on to pass down their genes. So here we are in 2024, paying more attention to a random crime in the midwest than to stories about people serving the communities we live in.
With that in mind, I’m taking a new approach in 2024. I’m setting an intention to pay more attention to Good News stories. First, I’ll need to find them, and I can do that through sites like Reasons to Be Cheerful. Next, I can spend time thinking about them via journaling, sharing them on social media, and discussing them with friends and family. The more time I devote to Good News, the more likely I will be to remember it. And that will help me feel more hopeful and positive in general. Imagine what might happen if a lot of us did this.
How about you? Will you join me in my quest to seek out and ruminate on Good News this year? What habits do you practice to focus on The Good?
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
