Feeling discouraged? Try a Jar of Awesome
“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.”
– Babe Ruth
Keeping momentum when undertaking a new creative project can be the hardest part. Mustering and maintaining the enthusiasm to keep going can be physically and emotionally wearing. Grey Toronto winters don't help.
Thank goodness for Tim Ferriss. As he recounts in his book "Tools of Titans" Ferriss keeps a homemade Mason jar decorated with glitter letters on his kitchen counter. Whenever something good happens, Ferris writes it down on a slip of paper and drops it into the jar. As the jar fills up, so does his positive emotional energy. He calls it "the Jar of Awesome."
"When something great happens, you think you'll remember it three months later, but you won't. The Jar of Awesome creates a record of great things that actually happened, all of which are easy to forget if you're depressed or seeing the world through grey-colored glasses,"
Science backs the theory. One recent study published in Psychology and Psychotherapy shows that recalling positive memories can help improve our mental health and boost positive emotions.
The “Jar of Awesome” helps us to cultivate more gratitude by reminding us of the many things in our lives that went well. It can also be a fantastic source of motivation and inspiration – by reminding ourselves of our “success stories” from the past, we feel more capable to continue creating new “success stories” in the future.
Ferris keeps the jar where he will constantly see it, acting as a visual reminder that "things aren't so bad."