Looking for the Bright Spots

  In the beginning of their fantastic bestseller Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard the Heath brothers explore the idea of “bright spots”.  They give many examples of how individuals and companies have used a focus on bright spots, or the good things that are working, to bring positive change to a community or business.  Their leading example is the story of Jerry Sternin, working with Save the Children, who was given the task of reducing malnutrition in rural Vietnam.  Instead of focusing on all the reports about the horrible situation and the lack of resources, he asked to visit families in the same areas that weren’t malnourished.  By following those families and seeing what they did differently, he was able to help extend the lessons he learned from them to the families in need.  He looked at what WAS working and focused on how to do more of it. 

  So what is a bright spot?  A bright spot is that solo ray of light shining through the clouds.  A bright spot is a highlight or something good that happens.  Maybe things in general aren’t going so well, but surely there are some good things to find.  Look at what IS working and what is going well.  Find what’s working and do more of it.

  When my husband read Switch, he quickly incorporated the idea into our nightly dinner conversations.  Previous to knowing about bright spots, we would take turns sharing events from our day.  Often times, our conversation would focus on our frustrations.  “Can you believe Frank did that?!” or “Gosh, what a hard day I had.  My boss asked me to take on this complicated project and I feel really overwhelmed.”  We would talk about the good in our day, but we tended to linger on the bad.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with sharing your frustrations, but it can give the loved ones in your life a skewed idea of how things are going for you.

  Our new dinner conversation goes something like this: “Tell me the bright spots from your day!” “Well, this morning on my bike ride to work it was really foggy, so foggy I could barely see.  But it was peaceful.  I had to pay close attention to the road, but I noticed that I was more aware of the sounds around me.  I could hear birds chirping, and I even heard the sounds of kids laughing in the distance.” Or, “Remember how I was feeling anxious yesterday about that new project my boss gave me?  I realized I needed to ask some more questions and talk things through with her.  She had some time this afternoon and I had a chance to express my concerns about it.  It felt really good to get more input from her.”

  The wonderful thing about sharing the good and focusing on the bright spots is that once you start, it’s hard to stop.  One good thought or memory often leads to another.  The act of sharing positive experiences helps us re-experience them again.  This doesn’t mean that my husband and I have stopped sharing frustrations or challenges that come up for us, but it has changed our focus and intention.  If we find ourselves dwelling on a negative situation, we ask each other, “Is there a bright spot to be found here?  Can we look at this problem from a different angle?” 

Have you found a way to look for the bright spots in your day?

Are there negative situations in your life that have some bright spots to be found within them?