Turn a sour puss into a cheshire cat

What good things happened to you today?

I know I can be incredibly nosy, but I do have your best interests at heart - really.

You see, that simple question is one that I often pose to people (especially my kids) after they have whinged for a little while about how bad their day has been.

Forcing them to look for something good stops the whingeing in the tracks.

They stop, they usually smile a bit and then they tell me just how good their day has actually been. Which is interesting in itself don't you think. That it is far easier to whinge and complain than it is to focus on the good things that have happened. We think we might get more in the way of sympathy if we tell everyone just how miserable we are because of "so and so" did "so and so" to us. Err not in my book. I'd sooner see you smile and be animated and happy about what you've been up to. Focussing on the negative just makes me depressed, even if it's you that's "down"

So a couple of suggestions:

If you are feeling a little down - ask yourself the question - what good things have happened to me today, and focus on those rather than the negative chatter that tends to fill our lives.

And if you are interacting with other people and they are the ones who tend to be the sour puss in boots, then ask them the same question, and see the change.