Negativity is (still) on the rise in the media. Often expressed in terms of casualties, events have to be increasingly dramatic to make the cut and pass the obscure negativity threshold. Truly tragic.
In our day-to-day (personal or professional) relationships, there is an ill-fated tendency to focus on negativity as well. One “compliment day” per year spawns cheap, obligatory compliments but is by no means sufficient. “Nice sweater!” “Thanks, I guess?” Not a plea for incessantly bestowing one another with compliments. However, remembering and revisiting the genuine compliments you received is immensely valuable.
Make a note with a bulleted list, call it: “I’m great.” Every time you receive a compliment, write it down in that particular note. When you feel down or stuck in a rut, have a glance at your list. Even better, throughout your morning, make a habit of thinking about that list.
In need of a kickstart? Friendly people that have used Airbnb, or any other service that requires two-way reviews for that matter, can copy-paste the reviews they received. They’re usually quite nice.
Receiving five stars reviews should account for something. Especially coming from someone you don’t really know, in some cases haven’t even met. Be the person that gives proverbial five stars reviews to the people around you, so they can score some “I’m great” entries.