When hardship strikes, the pit of despair creeps closer, pulling us deeper into it’s clutches.
Every bit of bad news sends us spiraling further into the abyss, as our minds whisper harsh reminders of how much worse it will get.
To escape, you must focus on the good. Turning your attention to the positive will help us see what we’re fighting for, overcome challenges, and preserve even in trying times.
Why Should I Focus on the Good?
“Focus on the Good, and the Good Gets Better” – Abraham Hicks
The things you focus on will fill your mind. When it’s negative, you invite more negativity. The worst aspects of humanity will surround you as you foresee the collapse of civilization and convince yourself that there’s no way out.
But when you focus on the good, you see the opposite. You see the kindness and empathy of your fellow man and the miracles of human ingenuity which give you strength to preserve no matter the challenge.
Focusing on the good helps you center yourself and view problems from a new perspective. It helps you shift your mindset, find happiness, and enjoy the blessings of life.
How Do I Focus on the Good?
When surrounded by negativity, the very idea of focusing on the good seems overwhelming.
We can help.
As a certified Life Coach, I’ve uncovered 17 tips for concentrating on the positive aspects of life, even when faced with challenging times.
Find Your Good
How can you focus on the good when you don’t know what the good is?
Find yours.
Dig deep to discover the things that make you smile and that are worth fighting for. Your good can be your family, a beloved pet, yourself, society, goodness, or anything else that motivates you.
Find it and don’t let go.
Look for Silver Linings
Every dark could has silver linings. Sometimes you have to look really hard to find them, but they are there.
Remember when a door closes, a window opens. Focus on those little silver linings and good opportunities that come with whatever challenges you are facing.
Practice Gratitude
You can often find good in the things you already have. We take so much for granted, like having food to eat, air to breathe, and a place to call home.
Show gratitude for these and other blessings in your life. You’ll realize there’s a lot more good than you thought.
Enjoy Simple Pleasures
Stop thinking about all the bad things happening and steal a moment of calm. Tune out the rest of the world and indulge in your favorite simple pleasures, like a cup of tea, a morning sunrise, or a cat’s purr.
They can’t make the bad times stop forever, but you can pause them to steal a moment of bliss.
Identify Negative Self-Talk
Our minds are our greatest strength and our worst enemies. We’re often harsher towards ourselves than anyone else, as our brains bombard us with negative messages about how we’re failures, worthless, losers.
You must learn to identify and pause the negative self-talk to prevent it from overtaking your life. Make a separate container in your head for that voice that constantly berates you, put it inside, and lock the door.
Shift Your Perspective
Is the glass half empty or half full? It all depends on your perspective.
Try looking at things from a different viewpoint. Bad news sells, so it’s easy to find, but good news abounds. Seek it out. See all the wonderful things happening in the world and focus your attention on that.
Trust Yourself
To focus on the good in life, you must first focus on the good in yourself.
You’re capable of far more than you know. You can achieve greatness and live a happier life – but to do so, you must learn to trust yourself.
Reject the naysayers and negative voices. Build confidence in yourself and your abilities. Know you can accomplish anything if you truly desire it, and trust yourself to overcome.
Learn for Next Time
When we fail at something, we sometimes spiral into a pit of despair. The negative self-talk ramps up, and we take the minor mistake as an epic life failure.
It’s time to reframe.
Failure isn’t a setback, it’s an opportunity. Use those mistakes as a learning opportunity to improve for next time. The more you fail, the better you will become, so stop fearing failure and letting it send you into a spiral, and start embracing it as the learning opportunity it is.
Take a Break
To stop obsessing about the negativity, you must stop focusing on it.
Put the phone down. Stop doomscrolling. Take a break from social media and the news. You don’t need to know every new horror that awaits every second.
Let it go for a few hours and spend your precious time living.
Celebrate the Wins
No matter how bad things get, there’s always something to celebrate. Make time for these joyful occasions!
Celebrate any win, no matter how small. If you struggle to even get out of bed, celebrate when you brush your teeth. When tightening your budget due to inflation, rejoice when you score a great deal.
Let every win be a cause for celebration.
Let Go of Negativity
In trying times, it’s far too easy to get up in a cloud of negativity.
You must let it go.
Negativity can come from family or friends, the news, social media, or even ourselves. To let it go, you may need to distance yourself from the primary sources. Stop engaging with friends who never have anything positive to say. Ignore family members who constantly criticize you.
Once you escape the dark cloud of negative energy that infected your life, you’ll be able to see all the good things surrounding you.
Embrace Mindfulness
“All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was, hmm? What he was doing.” – Master Yoda, Star Wars
Master Yoda understood how crucial mindfulness is to happiness. It’s the act of being completely present in the moment, focused on what you are doing.
And what you’re doing is usually a good thing to focus on!
When you’re playing with your kids, be fully there with them. Focus entirely on the great book you’re reading, your hobby, or even the project you need to do at work.
Embracing this mindfulness will help experience all the joys of life and give your mind a break from the negative noise coming from elsewhere.
Cultivate Positive Relationships
The people you surround yourself with have drastic impacts on your well-being. It’s impossible to focus on the good when you’re surrounded by people who constantly complain, fear-monger and criticize.
Find friends who will lift you up rather than tear you down. Build a community of positive, like-minded people dedicated to growth.
When you fill your life with people focused on the good, you can’t help but join them.
Journal
Journaling helps us release negative thoughts and emotions out of our brains. When we write these thoughts in our journal, we can clear our minds of them, which allows us to focus on other things.
When you’re feeling down, unable to focus on anything but the negativity surrounding you, grab your journal and do a brain dump. Let all those bad thoughts flow out of you and into your journal pages.
You’ll gain some clarity, feel refreshed, and give yourself the opportunity to focus on more positive things.
Take Care of Yourself
Focusing on the good things in life seems impossible when we’re stressed, overwhelmed, and tired.
Make time for self-care. Take a bubble bath, go for a walk, get lost in a good book, or get coffee with a dear friend. Indulge in something that calms your spirit and soothes your soul.
When you’re refreshed, you might see the situation more clearly, which will help you find the good in it.
Have Some Fun
Keep the good times rolling, even in times of despair. Stop focusing on what’s happening in the greater world, and inject some fun into your daily life.
Make memories with the people who matter most. Host game nights and parties, play in the park, attend a concert, or enjoy a festival.
Find small ways to have more fun every day, and you’ll see that things aren’t as bad as they appear.
Seek Help
If you’ve tried everything and still can’t find any positivity in life, you may need professional help.
A therapist can help you shut down negative self-talk and identify any reasons why you might struggle to appreciate the good, while a life coach can help you move forward and find ways to improve your outlook.
Sometimes, you’re struggling to find the good due to a tough financial or personal situation. Seek help from trusted family and friends, or get assistance through social programs. When you have some breathing room, you’ll be able to reassess your life and find ways to improve moving forward.
Goodness is Out There
Despite the negativity surrounding us, goodness is out there. Good people abound. They’re the helpers, the ones willing to watch out for others and stand up against evil.
They’re everywhere too, and when you change your mindset to start focusing on the good, you’ll start to see it. You’ll become one.
Be the good you want to focus on in the world, and you’ll see how much is truly out there.