What's some good news from your life?
It doesn't have to be big news. Have you had a really good meal with loved ones?
Celebrated a milestone?
Read a really good book?
I ask because I want to take a moment to savor it.
I think that the practice of appreciating the good things is essential when we're bombarded with news all day.
Here's what I'm seeing in the headlines:
Markets are volatile.
The economy is slowing down.1
Many Americans are feeling pessimistic.2
Experiment: If you click over to your news of choice, what's the balance between good news and bad?
I would bet that you find mostly negative headlines.
It's easy to get sucked in by negativity. Bad news is everywhere.
It's logical to want to batten down the hatches and prepare for the worst. To give in to pessimism.
But are we leaving enough room to appreciate what's good right now?
Take the economy, for example.
Inflation fell for the ninth month in a row in March.3
That still means prices are higher, but if we look deeper into the data, we’ve got some small victories to celebrate. Certain categories have even seen major price decreases over the last year.
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty thrilled that we’re paying nearly 20% less at the pump than we did 12 months ago.4
Here’s another bright spot: despite the slowing economy, unemployment is still near historic lows, and more folks are reentering the workforce.5
Those are wins right now. Let's take a moment to appreciate them.
We don't know what will happen in the future. Many things will be different even a month from now.
We've been caught in a maelstrom of uncertainty and scariness over the last few years.
But we're still here. Because we're strong and resilient, and that's fantastic news.
When the world looks uncertain and scary (and it often does), I recommend focusing on what's good right now.
And remembering that we’re incredible people who know how to thrive.
So, what's some good news in your life? Share it with me?
I’d like to savor it with you.
P.S. Want to learn more about why optimism is so powerful? Check out this (very short) TED talk.
The market indexes discussed are unmanaged and generally considered representative of their respective markets. Individuals cannot directly invest in unmanaged indexes.
Sources
- https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-retail-sales-fall-more-than-expected-march-2023-04-14/
- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/18/public-pessimism-on-the-economy-hits-a-new-high-cnbc-survey-shows.html
- https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/04/15/exp-cnn-looks-at-this-weeks-new-inflation-numbers-041505aseg1-cnni-business.cnn
- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/12/heres-the-inflation-breakdown-for-march-2023-in-one-chart.html
- https://www.usbank.com/investing/financial-perspectives/market-news/effect-of-job-market-on-the-economy.html