Open a "Feel Good About Me" account.

I had a really cool experience recently that I want to share. I received a call from a client who was vacationing in Australia. He makes the trip every four or five years, and he wanted to tell me about a hike that he’d just finished. He did this same hike on his last visit, and one part of the trek, in particular, has a long and challenging incline. He was excited to tell me that he only had to stop one time to catch his breath, while on his previous trip he had to make many stops before getting to the top. He said he felt proud of this accomplishment and grateful for our work together. I was beaming.

I decided to grab my notebook and write a few lines about my client’s experience and how it made us both feel. It then struck me that it would be a good idea to write down other positive and pleasant experiences as a way to memorialize them and simply feel good. From the nice interaction I had with the store cashier, to the rookie personal trainer expressing gratitude for sharing business-building tips, to helping a woman trying to wrestle a five-gallon water bottle into her car, these things are on my growing list that I call, “My ‘feel good about me’ account”.

As we’ve all experienced, the weight of life grows heavy sometimes and that often leads to negative self-talk and feeling down. But with this list of good stuff, I have an account that I can withdraw from when I need to feel uplifted and more positive. What are your thoughts about opening a “feel good about me” account that you can dip into when needed? And if you have other go-to strategies and activities that help brighten your outlook and mood, I’d appreciate you sharing them.