Did you see the bear?
Did you see the bear?
Did you see the bear?
Do you remember the video of players passing a basketball to each other, asking you to count the number of passes?
If not, watch this before you keep reading:
Did you see the moonwalking bear?
If not, you’re in good company. Unless you knew what you were looking for, almost half of the people who watched that video didn’t see it.
When you know there is a moonwalking bear, it’s impossible not to see it. Psychologists refer to this as “inattentional blindness”, missing obvious things right in front of us if we’re not looking for them.
On the flip side, when you look for something specific, you see it all of the time. Time to buy a new car? When you decide on the make and model you want, you’ll start to see that car everywhere.
Between our brain’s negativity bias, our propensity to magnify the negative and minimize the positive, and inattentional blindness, we are missing a huge percentage of the positive moments and experiences in our lives. Throw in 24 hour news coverage and social media, and you have a recipe for cynicism, frustration, and anxiety.
Fortunately, you have a superpower that can change the way you see the world. Experience-dependent neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to change based on your experiences. Our brain is continually growing and changing well into our nineties.
Getting better at looking for, savoring, and sharing good experiences inclines your mind in that direction. Research has found that keeping a gratitude journal or thinking of 3 good things that happened each day forces you to scan for the positives.Those that did this repeatedly for a week were happier, more grateful, and had higher levels of optimism than those that didn’t, even after they stopped the exercise.
This doesn’t mean you wear rose colored glasses and pretend like the negatives aren’t out there, but you can wear gratitude glasses and find the good within it.
Just like you probably have a “to-do” list, make a list of the good things about your job, your relationships, and your life. I have a sign on my bathroom mirror that says, “What will you look for today?” as a reminder to look for the good things in life.
When you make it your intention to find kindness, compassion, humor, and goodness, you are way more likely to find it.
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Time to reflect. 🌈😂 #fridayfunny #dadjokes
If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
Most of us are taught this simple lesson when we are kids. Unfortunately, it is not always practiced once we are adults. The human tendency to attribute our behavior to our intent and others’ behaviors to the type of person they are is referred to as the fundamental attribution error. Someone runs a stop sign, and we think they are a jerk. We run a stop sign and “oops”.
Regardless of our intentions, people only know what they see through our actions, and we only know what we see through the actions of others. In between our intentions and our actions lies a chasm.
How do you bridge the gap between intentions and actions? Try the following strategies 👆👆
Sometimes we inadvertently make our life a whole lot more difficult than it needs to be. It’s time to help others help you. #mindfulmonday
Ah, difficult conversations. You know, that conversation with your partner, co-worker, boss, or family member that you just don’t want to have.
While there is no magic formula that applies to every tough conversation, I have found that the following 7-steps makes it much easier. 🗣️
When we can separate our identity from our abilities, we are able to learn from failure, rather than assign judgment. #mindfulmonday #growthmindset #mindfulness #personalgrowth #success
Building resilience is a journey, y’all. 🤠💪
Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.
Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work and Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience and Triumph.