This morning (last Monday actually, as this is when I’m writing) I took the dog for a walk along the River Bollin.
Walking down the path from Abbey Road, where I had parked, I had to duck under the branches from several overgrown trees.
Which was mildly irritating.
But it got me thinking.
It’s the first time I’ve ever particularly noticed that there were branches overhead.
Every other time I’ve ever done it, they must have been trimmed back sufficiently.
A classic example of what we, as humans, often do,
Instantly forgetting, or even not even noticing, the stuff that goes somewhere between fine and good.
At best, writing it off as ‘expected behaviour’.
But much more keenly noticing when things aren’t as we feel they should be.
I could have complained about the council not keeping on top of this job.
When, in reality, they have every other day for, at least, the last several years.
If I asked you to list 10 things that went well in the last week, you’d probably struggle.
Even though I’d actually wager that the vast majority of things went as planned.
But a list of things that didn’t go right would come to mind much more readily, wouldn’t it?
This isn’t to say that we should just ignore the less good stuff.
It’s fine to make plans to improve in those areas.
It’s more than okay to let other people know when their behaviour is not alright with us.
But holding excessively to what didn’t go so well and instantly forgetting what did will have a negative impact on our enjoyment of life.
Creating a more accurate balance of what is and isn’t going well in our life is a skill.
We have probably got good at doing the other way over decades of doing that.
And, as always, it’s a skill that can only be changed by practice
Much love,
Jon ‘duck goose’ Hall
P.S. If you want to both make changes and be happier with what you’ve already got (they’re not mutually excusive) then you’ll get that (with a Money Back Guarantee) at www.myrise.co.uk/apply
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RISE in Macclesfield was established in 2012 and specialise in Group Personal Training weight loss programmes for those that don’t like the gym and find diets boring and restrictive!
