Watching the news lately can be a discouraging experience, which is why it’s all the more important to “Scan for the Good”, a practice more and more people are using to modulate their energy.

I know what you’re thinking, there’s a lot wrong out there–the climate emergency, divisive politics, GMOs, super bugs, identity theft, and on and on it goes. It’s hard not to shut down and stop listening. Yet, in my opinion, there has never been more of a reason to stay awake than now.

Remember the story of the frog and the boiling water? If a frog was suddenly dunked in hot water, it would simply jump out and continue to live. But, if it was put in warm water that was then brought to a boil, it wouldn’t jump out. It would just get more and more used to the rising heat until it died.

In my opinion, there has never been more of reason to stay awake than now. These are not times to close down. We need to have our wits about us more than ever so we can do what it takes to change things around. All the more reason to be able to self-modulate so you can stay open and positive even in trying times. One of the best methods I know to stay positive is an exercise called “Scan for the Good.”

“Scanning for the Good” doesn’t mean we deny what’s bad

Scanning for the Good doesn’t mean we deny the bad, it just means that we give equal attention to the positive. EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) teacher, Dawson Church, is writing a book called the Bliss Brain. He says he’s writing it to remind us that when we focus on the positive, “we can hear the song of love that the universe plays all around us every day. That love song whispers through our neurons, echoing through the 27 trillion cells in our bodies, and harmonizing with melodies in the field around us.”

He argues that the “good old days” are a myth and that overall, life on planet earth is getting better! Here are some of the positives Dawson Church mentioned as he was researching the book:

• Between 2000 and 2015, one billion people (one-seventh of the world’s population) escaped poverty.
• The life span of the average global citizen has doubled in the past century.
• In developed countries, the proportion of government spending on education and relief for the poor rose from under 2% to 22%.
• Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest dropped by 4/5ths between 2004 and 2013.
• Google searches for homophobic, racist, and misogynistic terms have decreased by at least 80% since 2004.
• Despite the interruption of horrific wars, each century has been more peaceful than the one that preceded it.
• From 1960 through today, the American poverty rate, measured by income, has fallen by more than half.
• World carbon emissions per dollar of GDP have dropped by 50% in 50 years.
• Child labor, infant mortality, maternal mortality, and domestic violence have all been declining globally.
• The proportion of the world’s people without access to clean air and water has roughly halved in a decade.
• The percentage of people meditating has quadrupled in the last ten years.

“Scanning for the Good” keeps your energy postive:

I know —despite Dawson’s facts, there are still a lot of bad things happening in the world. But really, when isn’t there? What’s important is that we don’t get discouraged so we can keep our energy positive and take on the things that need to be changed.

So, take a moment right now to scan through your own life and bring some of the wonderful things to the forefront. Savour them for a moment. As you do, notice how the thoughts re-invigorate your energy. That energy is important. It’s going to fuel the changes we need to make. And because it fuels a person’s ability to make change, it’s a tool I want you to know about and use.

As always, I want the best for you and the best for our world.