Your Daily Brush: The Other AI - Appreciative Inquiry
When life's inevitable challenges confront us, it is easy to look at what is not going right. Along with acknowledging problems, it is important to ask yourself "What is going right?"
Dear Friends,
AI is all the buzz in today’s world, especially in tech heavy places such as the San Francisco Bay area.
But there is another kind of AI that is equally powerful and can help promote your resilience in the face of life’s ups and downs: Appreciative Inquiry.
Instead of being swept up in negative emotions, pause and do an AI assessment of your situation.
Yes life does get difficult at times. And we can have more than our share of “growth opportunities” which sometimes is a euphemism for challenges, hassles, and frustrations.
But pausing to do an Appreciative Inquiry assesment of your situation does not take long and the benefits are worth the minute or two of time.
Rx: The next time you face challenges or difficulties and life does not go as you would like it to, stop and ask yourself the following questions:
What is going right in this moment?
What can I be grateful for?
Who are the people in my life for whom I am grateful?
What are the blessings in my life?
What good can I discover in this imperfect moment?
Create your own questions using the above as inspiration.
Remember, we live in an imperfect world, fraught with challenges. There will always be rainy days and even some stormy days. The practice of Appreciative Inquiry is a tool that you can use to boost your resilience and fuel your momentum to keep you going forward.
Don’t get stuck focusing on deficits and imperfections. The next time you feel yourself sliding down the slippery slope of discontent and wish that things were otherwise, put on the brakes by engaging in Appreciative Inquiry. Ask yourself the questions above. In addition to giving you a more balanced perspective, doing so will promote your emotional health.
To your health!
