Every coaching session or workshop or even a speaking event, I’ll ask the people in the room: “What’s a win?” No matter how big or how small.

And, I’ll ask myself this question every single day, ESPECIALLY on the days when things seem hard . . .

When I’m feeling the pressure of everything to do. When I’m feeling frustrated because someone is not doing what I expected them to do. Or when I am doubting myself in a moment.

“What’s a win?” is a simple and powerful question that changes the lens through which you see things, the more you reflect on that question daily.

I have had a number of clients in the past week who, when asked about their “win”, provided responses like:

• “I am feeling happier and not overwhelmed, even though things are still ‘crazy busy’ around me”
• “I am patient and not getting triggered like I used to, because I feel happy, even though the same challenges and issues are here at work.

The common theme? “I am calm and happier even with all the demands and expectations and chaos”.

So what’s going on here?

When we are positive, our brains are more engaged, productive, energetic, creative, focused and resilient at work and in our personal life – the benefits are huge!

This has been rigorously researched in Positive Psychology and neuroscience, including such experts in the field as Barbara Fredrickson, best-selling author of “Positivity” and most known for her “broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions”, and Shawn Achor, best-selling author of “The Happiness Advantage: How A Positive Brain Fuels Success In Work And Life (the latter being my most favorite book!)

You literally see more choice and possibility when you are having positive thoughts and emotions.

And the better your brain is at using its energy to focus on the positive the greater your chances of success of having a more accurate view of what’s really going on.

We as humans tend to think things are worse than they actually are!

“Positivity is about being realistic about the present, while maximizing your potential for the future by cultivating thinking and behaviours to respond more positively and effectively, regardless the circumstance.

It’s NOT about wishing away your problems or pretending they don’t exist.”

The demands and expectations aren’t going away. Challenging people and situations aren’t going away. The stress you face each day is most likely not going away.

So, what can you do to increase your happiness and performance in the midst of all the craziness?

Start with daily gratitude and those wins.

Every single day, write out three things you are grateful for, and reflect on what you did or someone did to make that happen – What is a win or an accomplishment? What is a negative situation you handled well? What is something that is good?

IT IS THERE! You just have to be willing to look for it.

Even in a moment when you’re feeling stuck or stressed, take 45 seconds to think about what is good and what you are grateful for.

Commit to do this for 7 days. If you enjoy it, awesome. Keep it up for 21 days. Then, make it a daily part of your routine.

The more that you do this, it literally changes the lens through which you see your world to be more positive and it’s easier to not get caught up in the daily stressors.

Give it a go and see for yourself the difference it can make.

All the best,

What Next?

You can sign up for Stacey’s masterclass, The Confident “No” here.

Stacey L. Olson is a Leadership and Certified Positive Psychology Coach, has 15 years of corporate experience and has gone through her own transformational change from burning out to balanced in life while performing at a high level (both in her corporate career and own business). She works with professionals who want to work less, live more and be their best even with all the demands, high expectations and messiness of everyday life. Stacey is the founder of The Balanced Leader™ program and offers executive and leadership coaching, workshops, and speaking.