Just having positive experiences is not enough to promote long lasting well-being. If a person feels grateful for a few seconds, that’s nice. That’s better than feeling resentful or bitter for a few seconds. But in order to really suck that experience into the brain, we need to stay with those experiences for a longer duration of time—we need to take steps, consciously, to keep that spotlight of attention on the positive.

So, how do we actually do this? These are the three steps that are recommended for taking in the good. These are not invented by someone particular but are embedded in many good therapies and life practices. But we’ve tried to tear them apart and embed them in an evolutionary understanding of how the brain works.

1. Let a good fact become a good experience.

Often we go through life and some good thing happens—a little thing, like we checked off an item on our To Do list, we survived another day at work, the flowers are blooming, and so forth. Hey, this is an opportunity to feel good. Don’t leave money lying on the table: Recognize that this is an opportunity to let yourself truly feel good.

2. Really savor this positive experience.

Practice what any school teacher knows: If you want to help people learn something, make it as intense as possible—in this case, as felt in the body as possible—for as long as possible.

3. Finally, as you sink into this experience, sense your intent that this experience is sinking into you.

Sometimes people do this through visualization, like by perceiving a golden light coming into themselves or a soothing balm inside themselves. You might imagine a jewel going into the treasure chest in your heart—or just know that this experience is sinking into you, becoming a resource you can take with you wherever you go.

AUTHOR- Rick Hanson

ALL RIGHTS OF THIS CONTENT BELONG TO  RICK AND GREATERGOOD.BERKELEY.EDU WHERE IT WAS FIRST PUBLISHED.