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REASONS TO HUNT THE GOOD STUFF 

1. Create positive emotions (like optimism and gratitude)
2. Deal with setback (resiliency) 
3. Improve health and sleep

DEFINITION

"Hunting the good stuff" is a self-coaching technique. It's a skill that your inner-coach should develop. 

When your inner-voice is hyper-focused on negative thoughts, force yourself to think about three good things that happened that day. 

NOTE - "Hunting the good stuff" and the "3 Good Things" exercise are based on research developed by Dr. Martin Seligman. 

EXPLANATION 

Managing can be a thankless job.  It's easy to get down in the dumps. It's only natural to focus on the negative. 

The "negativity bias" is a common thinking trap and natural human instinct. It's the tendency to pay more attention to bad events than good events. 

Remember, negative emotions like stress are highly contagious. You deal throughout the day with other people's problems, not just your own. 

As a manager and leader, the ability to see the good, in spite of all the challenges, is a valuable skill that you need to nurture.  

Whenever you're having a tough day, take a thinking break. Remember, a thinking break is like a timeout in sports. Coaches call for timeouts when their team is losing momentum. 

Focus your thoughts on three good things that happened that day. It may take you some time to identify the positives, but stick with it. 

It helps to write the good things down. They feel more real when they're staring back at you! The notes app on your mobile device is a good place to capture the goodness. 

When you identify something good that happened, think about what caused that good thing to happen.

COACHING POINT 

Take time to reflect on each good thing. What does that good things mean to you? How did you contribute to making that good thing happen? What can you do to promote more of the same?