A short feel-good message about the state of the world

Sunshine among the clouds…

It might feel like there’s a lot of cr*p in the world right now.

And I’m not denying that worrying things are happening.

But it can feel overwhelming when we think about everything going on.

The news especially can be so negative:

The world’s coming to an end… AI robots will have taken over within 3 years… the planet’s only got 20 years left…

Now, I’m not denying that bad things aren’t happening.

But I want to offer another point of view.

Because think about this…

Right now, somewhere in the world:

• A nurse has just doubled her shift, because a coworker called in sick and there’s no one else to cover the children in her ward.
• A teacher is desperately trying to find last-minute help for a child she’s worried about in her class.
• A journalist has just started unearthing a story that will bring an end to years of abuse in a key organization.
• There are people volunteering all over the world in soup kitchens and charitable organizations, night after night.

Of course, I don’t know for sure that those things are happening right now.

But I know that they happen. All the time.

And I get that those situations come from a depressing place: the overstretched hospital; the underfunded school; the toxic workplace, etc…

But that’s usually all we hear about.

My take on it…

I’m not saying that “bad people” or bad actions don’t exist.

I’ve had my fair (unfair?) share of terrible doctors, unprofessional lawyers, and uncaring social workers, so I know it happens.

But for every “bad” person or event, there’s a good one as well.

Maybe even two!

For everyone doing something sh*tty, there is someone else working to make the world a better place.

An exercise you can try:

1) Take out a sheet of paper or start a new list on your phone. Start making a note of all the good you notice or hear about in the world.

Anything good, no matter how small:

- A teenager stopping to hold a door open for an elderly person.
- A stranger that says “bless you” in the bank when you sneeze.
- A mailman that stops to stroke a cat as they’re doing their rounds.

2) Read your list every single morning.

(Even better, before you check your phone!)

See if it makes a difference it makes to your mood and how you approach your day.

3) Keep adding to your list.

See how long you can get it.

One page… two?

As you go about your week, try to find extra things for your list:

A businessman you saw smiling at a baby… a neighborhood kid raising money for charity… new flowers planted in your local community…

They’re only small things; I get that.

But good things are out there, all the time.

We’re bombarded with messages saying “the world is sh*tty and falling apart”.

But I don’t think that’s true.

If it was true, it would have happened by now.

So keep fighting… keep believing… keep loving… keep listening to your heart and not the news.

There will always be that negative 1%.

But the positive 99% are out there, slogging away.

Quietly working away in the background… and they’re not giving up ;)

Claire

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Claire O’Connor is an accountability coach and writer who works with people who are starting to make changes to their lives but need extra support. She helps people prioritize their tasks and make progress so they can achieve their goals, stress-free.

You can find her at www.thefivepercent.net