Have you heard about “negative visualization?” Here’s the idea: Whenever you reach a bored or dissatisfied state of mind, you can turn to “negative visualization” to reorient your mindset.

And here’s how it works. No matter how dissatisfied you may be, most of us can pause, look around, and identify somebody or a situation much worse than we are experiencing. You line up those negative circumstances against your reality and realize that you have it pretty good, which reorients your attitude.

Naturally, positive circumstances don’t weather well. You get a new garment, and the thrill of the purchase goes away after you’ve worn it a few times. You might be excited about a new relationship, but over time, the excitement turns to routine. It’s normal.

I don’t use negative visualization. I’m more of a “count your blessings” type of guy.

Here’s the good news. We each have the power to choose where we place our focus and what we accept as our reality. When you choose the positive mindset of “brighten up, look around, it could be much worse” or “I’m sure lucky, look at all that I have going for me,” you will instantly make things around you better.

Give it a try. It works.