What is Good?

I started a Gratitude Journal a long time ago.  When I was very consistent with it, it felt very helpful to list out what I was grateful for and lifted my mood.  That practice fell away until late 2017 when I was a participant in a coaching course* where one of our assignments was to write what is GOOD, about ourselves, our lives, our days.

While similar in scope, asking the question What is Good seemed to open up something in me that asking what I am grateful for did not.  It brought to mind so many more things, the little things about each person, each day, each moment.  For me, Gratitude is a bigger picture, more of a sweeping overview.  What is Good seems simpler, more freeing, easier.

When you look for what is Good, you start to notice more of what is Good.  At first, it was challenging to list as many things as I could about what is Good about myself, much easier to list those things about others that I like/love.  Part of the assignment was to list what is Good about those in our lives that we struggle with.  That one was much more challenging!

However…when I really sat down to do that, it allowed me to see other people in their humanity, separate from their behavior that I may object to.  I also started noticing that there was really no one in my life that I truly struggled with or did not like – when I separated the behavior from the person.  So freeing to see that!

So….if you are so inclined to test this out yourself, here are some questions you can ask yourself (helpful if you journal your answers)

For each of these following three questions, your list can include personality, qualities, strengths, skills, behaviors, attitude, actions, etc  See if you can list at least 25 things for each.

1.What is Good about you?
2.What is Good about those in your life that you like/love?
3.What is Good about those you struggle with?

For the next three questions, include activities, people, places, experiences, accomplishments, etc

1.What is Good about your life as a whole?
2.What is Good about your past?
3.What was Good about today/yesterday?

If you want to learn more about this, here are two great resources.  I will be focusing my next several newsletters on topics similar to these that also came from the following resources:

Jackie Kelm – Jackie led the Appreciative Engagement Coaching model course I just completed where this practice came from – if you are not a coach, you can still benefit from her resources to help you live a more joyful life)
©www.AppreciativeEngagement.com

Rich Hanson – Hardwiring Happiness – The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm and Confidence