Photo Donated by Sherry Stehr
Have a “good news party.”
In Western culture, as in many culture, we hear that it is not polite to “toot your own horn.” Humility is a potentially good trait, in moderation, but what’s wrong with enjoying the good things that happen to us? As long as the focus is on gratitude, there is nothing wrong with telling others about the great things going on in your life. A Good News Party is a gathering where the focus is on sharing the good things that are happening to you and others, to celebrate, congratulate, and give thanks with no judgment about “bragging.” There should be just a couple of rules: “no complaining,” and “no competing.” The focus of conversation should be generally positive. People can make announcements about promotions, projects, positive intentions and decisions, lucky breaks, fun times, anything that they see as good news in their lives that they would like to share and enjoy with friends. The host can supplement the activity by asking people to bring good news from around the world. Since the news stations focus so much on the negative, this is a great way to build morale by looking at the positive things going on in the world.
These good news items could be listed and read, posted, or any number of things that can help people to see that the sky is not falling, the world is not collapsing into ruin, and that their own lives are certainly worth living. This is not about ignoring real problems, but merely taking a refreshing break from them for a couple of hours. A little gathering like this can be a great way to get people focusing on what they CAN do instead of what they CAN’T do, on what’s RIGHT with their lives instead of what’s WRONG with their lives, and what’s GOOD about the world instead of what’s BAD about the world. An old bit of wisdom declares: “What you focus on expands.” Following this principle, a Good News party is a great way to focus on things that will bring more goodness and happiness into your life and into the world.
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