Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

“Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it, and you'll start believing in it.”

—Jesse Owens

If you participate in any kind of online life, from social media, to streaming services like Netflix, or even simple search engine searches, you’ve come in contact with “the algorithm.” Platforms use algorithms to determine how to filter content—in simplified terms, they use what we’ve looked at before to determine what to show us next. This can be fun (there are A LOT of funny animal videos out there), but it can also be enraging and discouraging (there is A LOT of bad news out there, too).

Offline, our reticular activating system acts as an algorithm. What we look for, we find. 

So I propose that we look for the good, the beautiful, and the excellent—both online and off. Let’s change the algorithm!

See better, do better

I’ve been thinking about “changing the algorithm” as a concept for a while now, but a webinar I attended last week (“Appreciating Goodness and Beauty in Our World”) helped me expand the idea beyond the internet and social media. The speaker was Maria Sirois, a clinical psychologist and author of The Generous Exchange. 

According to Sirois, when we are actively seeking goodness in the world, we actually become better people. Paying attention to goodness gives us evidence of hope. It reminds us of our better selves. She focused on three main types of goodness and beauty:

Natural beauty—experiences in the natural world, like walking in the woods or enjoying a sunset.

Moral beauty—good news; benevolence; the capacity to be kind, generous, and loving to the world. When we see people helping people, animals, or the environment.

Excellence—accomplishment and achievement. Watching Simone Biles fly through the air or hearing a musician play a beautiful piece of music. (Sirois noted that there is also excellence of character. For those of us who will never be Simone Biles, we can strive to become excellent in our own domains.)

To actively seek goodness and beauty, here are two practices Sirois suggested we try:

1. Choose a texting buddy and for the next 30 days and text each other one thing you found beautiful each day. This strengthens connections in your brain for beauty, and it draws you closer to your friend as you each share what you find beautiful in your world.

2. For the next two weeks, jot down in a journal one example of goodness in your world.

At the end of these practices, reflect on what has grown in you because of them. What is different now?

One beautiful thing

At the beginning of the webinar, Sirois asked us: What’s one thing you find beautiful in the world today?

Here’s mine: On Tuesday, I attended a performance of The Lion King. The production was outstanding—magical, really. The music, the performers, the costumes and sets—I marveled, yes, marveled, at the talent, joy, and excellence on display. I walked out of the theater feeling happy and inspired. (In fact, I just watched this clip, and got chills!) 

While I do see suffering, cruelty, and greed in the world, I also see an amazing amount of love, kindness, and caring. Focusing on the good and the beautiful helps me find hope when I’m in despair, and gives me courage to keep showing up with kindness. The more we focus on the good and beautiful, the more we’ll see.

What’s one beautiful thing in your world? Please share in the comments below!