Walking down the street, it’s easy to fall into the habit of noticing all the things you don’t like. The next time you’re out shopping, driving your car or just walking around somewhere, try this simple exercise to break the habit…

Try noticing a lot of things you DO like. No matter where you are (almost) there’s bound to be stuff around you that you like; a nice car driving past you, a song you like playing on the radio, a pretty detail on a building, a funny looking cloud – anything. Try for 5 minutes to notice only the things you like. Appreciate them. If you see something you don’t approve of, move your attention on to a new thing that you like.

I did this for just 5 minutes today walking down to the local post office, and I found that it did two things for me. First, it lifted my mood. Not that I was unhappy or anything, but it did brighten the day. Second, it became easier to appreciate the things I liked. Up until the I’d been subconsciously focusing on a lot of stuff that bugged med – ugly buildings (I have a thing for architecture), annoying people, whatever. The longer I focused on the positive, the easier it became to notice and enjoy the positive in my surroundings.

Try it for yourself, and let me know whether it works for you.