2025 January 28 Find the positive energy

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Hi, this is Jim Cranston from 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com, the podcast and website about reimagining your life. Thanks for joining me today to talk about finding the positive. Let’s get started. If you like what you hear, please leave a like, subscribe, tell your friends, or send me a message. I really appreciate you being here tonight as we dive into how to be a force for positive change, even when it doesn’t feel easy.

Tonight’s episode will be mostly impromptu, and I’ll explain why—and why I’m starting a little late. Earlier, I had a completely different topic planned out, all written and ready to go. It was about believing in yourself and not getting caught up in the constant negativity we face in the world around us. But as I worked through it, I realized something: you can’t really talk about avoiding negativity without risking getting pulled into it. It’s like emotional quicksand—the more you try to escape it, the deeper you sink into the negativity you’re trying to avoid.

That’s the thing about negativity—it builds on itself. One negative thought leads to another, and before you know it, you’ve slid down into a place where positivity feels out of reach. But there’s good news. Each of us has the power to reverse that. We can stop, reset, and choose to start fresh at any moment. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible whenever we decide to take that first step.

So, I scrapped my original script after 90 minutes of work. Poof—gone. Of course, there’s a cost to that. I started late, which I don’t like. But I felt it was worth it because you deserved a better perspective. This gave me the chance to share something that really changed my perspective. If you’ve been following along, you might remember a couple of weeks ago we talked about the daily “good thing” jar. It’s a place to write down something good that happened or a positive thought you had each day. The idea is to think of at least one good thing, write it down, and put it in the jar.

Well, here’s my jar. I often look at it to remind myself of all the good things that have happened in my life. Down at the bottom of the jar, you’ll see all these pieces of paper. Each one represents at least one day, and some days even have multiple notes. This is just from January.

There are a couple of important things that happen when you use this system. First, it provides a physical reminder of the many things that did go well. Second, it helps train your mind to notice and appreciate the good things as they happen. These two aspects alone can help you navigate life’s daily challenges—whether it’s endless meetings, misbehaving pets, children, or any of the little things we tend to focus on and let define our day.

When you start this practice, you notice even more benefits. It encourages mindfulness in all aspects of life. Instead of life feeling like a constant stream of events where you only mentally bookmark the frustrating ones, it becomes a series of individual moments, each worth considering. Over time, you begin to realize just how many things actually go right each day.

That’s really a major shift for most people. As I mentioned, we tend to let much of life drift by and only really take notice when something goes wrong. But when you start recognizing that there are often more things going right than going wrong, you naturally begin to feel a little happier overall.

Another great thing about the jar is that just seeing it when I walk by serves as a reminder. I’ll notice how many pieces of paper are in there and sometimes think, Oh, that’s right—I forgot to write something down! I’ll remember something good that happened earlier in the day and realize I didn’t record it yet.

It’s such a simple but effective way to refocus on the positives in life. You probably know people who seem to live just to complain. But if you look at their lives objectively, you’ll usually find they have plenty of good things happening—just like anyone else. The difference is, they choose to focus on the negative.

We all have the ability to shape our perspective to a large degree, regardless of our circumstances. Yes, there are undeniably horrible situations, like what’s happening in Ukraine. But even there, you’ll find people who are working hard to make the best out of an unimaginably difficult situation. By focusing on finding the best possible outcome, they not only make things more bearable for themselves but also inspire those around them to do the same. As we often discuss, every situation can be interpreted in multiple ways. If we consciously try to find the good, we’ll usually end up happier, more productive, and more resilient in the long run.

I could have been frustrated that I couldn’t use my first script. But instead, I chose to see it as a lesson in the subtle power of negativity and decided to reframe it completely. I hope you’ll remember the power you have to be a positive influence in the world around you, especially during those moments when you feel the least positive. Those are often the times when you can make the biggest positive impact.

Your homework is to think about a time when you felt completely negative—we all have those moments. Then, try to mentally walk through that same day and see if you can find even one thing that brought you a smile or maybe just a sigh of relief. Once you do, write it down and put it in your very own pretzel jar and start keeping track of things that go well. 

So, once again, that’s it for the evening. Please take a moment to remember the many areas in the world experiencing political unrest—wars, like in Ukraine, government overthrows, and ongoing struggles in places like the Middle East, Africa, and South America. The list goes on.

There is so much suffering happening globally. If you’re looking for ways to help, UKR7.com has a list of links to organizations focused on Ukraine. Another great resource is World Central Kitchen at WCK.org, which works in disaster areas, often responding to natural disasters, all around the world.

Both are amazing charities where you can make a real difference. And as we always say, if you’re in a position to donate, that’s wonderful. If you want to help locally, that’s great too. But even if you’re not in a place to give money, you can still brighten someone’s day—smile at someone on the street, say Have a good day, or just bring a little joy into someone else’s life. You have the power to spread positivity everywhere you go.

So, if you can, consider donating or supporting a local charity near you. Remember, sometimes the simplest gesture, like making someone smile, can have a huge impact.

As always, thank you for stopping by. If you found something interesting or helpful, please share it with others. Don’t forget to subscribe and hit that like button, and if there’s something specific you’d like to hear, let me know in the comments. Have a great week, and remember to live the life you’ve always dreamed of. That’s the path to true contentment. Love and encouragement to everyone. See you next week on 7EveryMinute  and 7EveryMinute.com.