For the past seven years, anytime I’ve received an especially nice note from a client, I’ve added it to my “wins” folder. I first learned this practice from Professor Jane Dutton, who wrote that on days when her spirit could use a lift, she reviews her file of positive messages. As someone with a named professorship and countless awards for her scholarship, it would be easy to assume that Professor Dutton wouldn’t need such positive reminders. But the most successful academics are not necessarily people who don’t need to stay positively motivated. In fact, they might be successful because they are good at practicing the techniques that keep them going.
I was recommending Professor Dutton’s practice for quite some time before it occurred to me that I should practice what I preach. However, even once I started saving kind notes, I only followed half of the practice. I moved the notes into the “wins” folder, but I never actually went back to read them.
Last month I went looking for additional quotes for my website and remembered I had a whole collection of thoughtful notes. I read through every single message. In the middle of a month in which I was pulled in too many directions and felt as if I were dropping balls right and left, it was a delightful experience that provided me with an infusion of positive energy.
Human beings are programmed to be alert to threats. It is easy to respond to life like the woman on stage in the Carolita Johnson New Yorker cartoon, who is looking over an audience of smiling, clapping fans giving her a standing ovation, but hones in on the lone person frowning and thinks, “they hated me.” Although noticing the positive may not always come naturally, it is a practice worth cultivating. I love the concept of savoring – of really taking in and enjoying the good things in our lives. A “wins” folder is one great way to practice savoring – especially if you do better than I did and follow both parts of the practice, pausing from time to time to re-read the messages you’ve saved.
I hope you have a restful and rejuvenating holiday season, with many moments to savor.
Warm regards, Rena