Taking Stock of the Good Stuff

Questionnaire

Changing Your Perspective To Seek Out the Positive

(PART 1)

Most people tend to focus on what is wrong and what they lack rather than appreciating what has gone right and what they have. In some part, this is due to the fact that people expect everything to always be perfect rather than accepting that life is filled with ups and downs. We become desensitized to the many wonderful things that happen around us, which interferes with enjoyment and positive life experiences.

There are often wonderful things that surround us and exist in our lives, we just need to pay attention to them. Our experience of the world is typically determined by the perspective that we choose to take. So much of what occurs in our lives are self-fulfilling prophecies – If we approach things negatively it typically produces negative results and vice versa. The following exercise can help shift your perspective towards the positive.

While you don’t necessarily know everything that is going to occur later today or tomorrow, there are some events that you know will occur.

This exercise can help switch on your radar to seek out the positive so that you will be more likely to recognize and appreciate those events. It will also prepare you to better notice and enjoy events that you don’t expect, but that can still be positive experiences in your life.

1. Compile a list of the positive events that you anticipate will be present in your day today or tomorrow. These can be significant aspects of your life (e.g. hugging your children) or they can be less significant (e.g. the friendly greeting you receive from the doorman). All that is required for it to be on your list is that it is something you experience as positive and that you anticipate will be present in your day.

Enter your responses in the prompts below:

Positive Event #1: (required)

Positive Event #2: (required)

Positive Event #3: (required)

Positive Event #4: (required)

2. Take it one step further... Describe what makes (or has the potential to make) each anticipated event a positive presence in your life.

Enter your responses for each event in the prompts below:

Positive Event #1: (required)

Positive Event #2: (required)

Positive Event #3: (required)

Positive Event #4: (required)

Here are two additional items just to keep in mind as you practice this exercise over the next day:

3. Consider the items below that you utilize when you encounter the positive events that have been previously identified. Attempt to implement as many of these techniques as possible to enhance your ability to “take stock”.

Absorption of positive feelings - Take the time to notice and embrace the positive feelings you experience ⁪

Visualization of positive sentence - Identify and envision the positive words that you may associate with your positive experience ⁪

Discovery of unanticipated positive events - Allow yourself to recognize and appreciate positive moments and events that you did not expect would occur ⁪

Reflection on positive outcomes - Take time to think about your positive experiences and the benefits that result from them

4. Throughout your day as you encounter each of the positive events from your list, also pay close attention to when this occurs and how it makes you feel.

Now you have the tools to go out and experience your day with more optimism, joy, and positivity. Submit here to receive a copy of this form via email. Responses are anonymous. Come back later or tomorrow to complete Part 2 and report your progress!

Enter your email below to receive a copy of this form: (required)

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