Ok, y’all. We are in it right now. Maybe you are feeling blah, a bit unmotivated, or maybe you are feeling off course. The good news, we don’t have to stay there. In a recent episode of The Marie Forleo Podcast, my girl Marie gives practical insight into why we may be feeling this way, along with two simple things we can do about it.
She starts by sharing her insights around negativity bias, defining it as the human tendency to pay more attention and give more weight to negative experiences than positive or neutral ones. Said a different way, our brains are wired to notice the bad stuff and ignore the good. And while we may be feeling that a bit more these days, the good news is that we have the power to change up those negative feelings.
To break it down for you, Marie shares two practical bits of advice.
The first, reduce your traditional news consumption. She goes as far as suggesting to limit it to one serving a day. To do so, she recommends finding a local news source that provides the facts you are after.
For me, it’s the York County Economic Alliance (think chamber of commerce). They are providing real-time information and resources for the local business community. Yes, I am a former employee. But I have to say, I am so dang proud of that organization (and it’s people). I appreciate all the time and negative emotions saved from watching the daily press conferences and political briefings. I simply read a few emails each week to stay informed.
The second piece of advice Marie shares is to fill your feeds with inspiration and positivity. Her philosophy is simple, she calls it the five-to-one. She suggests having five positive media interactions for every one negative. Yes, that means seeking out five pieces of funny, hopeful, inspirational things to counterbalance all the negativity.
So go on, watch those ridiculous cat videos. And check out Tank's Good News, where all things uplifting and inspiring can be found. In the podcast, Marie interviews the man behind it, Tank Sinatra, and I'm loving all the feel-good stories that are in my feed now as a result. If you're looking for a source of good news here in our local community, check out Our York Media.
I hope you find this as simple and effective as I did. It is totally doable, and it may just turn your feelings of blah into more productive, purposeful energy.
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For show notes and and to learn more about Marie Forleo, check out her website. And be sure to follow her, especially if you're not afraid of an f-bomb or two. She's Jersey through and through.