Four months ago, I started posting on LinkedIn every Friday, always beginning with the same seven words:

“Let’s end the week on a positive”

In the posts, I list three of my favourite moments from the week to start the weekend with a smile. It’s quickly become a habit, and I enjoy writing my “Friday positivity” posts.

But aside from this being a great way to end the week, I’ve noticed some other outcomes that I didn’t anticipate. Read on to discover why my Friday positivity posts have gone from being a nice addition to my LinkedIn content to one of my top successes of 2024.

1. I started to find more joy in my work

I’ve always enjoyed working at Yardstick, but setting myself the challenge of choosing three specific moments of joy from the week made me look at everything from a new perspective.

For example, meetings that happen every week or every month started to provide opportunities for enjoyment as well as the more practical reasons for getting together. For example, our monthly blog ideas meeting has featured in my Friday positivity posts several times.

Though the blog ideas meeting follows the same structure every month (we brainstorm ideas for content based on news and articles we’ve found), I realised that there is always something different to come out of those discussions. Often, the conversation goes off on a tangent, depending on the details that inspire or amuse us. As a result, the time we spend together allowing our imaginations to run wild makes us better, more creative writers.

I discovered that the more time you spend looking for the good in your day, the easier it becomes to see it. At first, I found it a bit tricky to remember three good things from the week to post – not because I was unhappy, but just because I’d either forgotten the smaller moments, or considered something routine rather than a unique experience of its own. But with practice, I found that I noticed and enjoyed more of these moments as they happened, and it’s now easy to bring three to mind when I write my Friday post.

2. Others joined in, sharing their own favourite moments from the week

One of the lovely things that I absolutely didn’t expect from my Friday posts was the number of people who joined in and shared their own favourite moments. Most weeks, the post will receive reactions and comments, some from people I know, some I’ve never met before.

The comments frequently share professional wins as well as more personal ones, such as spending quality time with family. A few have even shared how much they looked forward to reading my Friday posts!

This might be one of my favourite things to come out of the experience so far. LinkedIn is, after all, a social platform, and among the many frightening or negative headlines we all read every day, the comments section feels like a warm corner of the internet to escape to.

3. I learned more about what it means to have a positive outlook

It’s not always easy to approach the twists and turns of life with optimism. Like everyone, I have good weeks and bad weeks, and occasionally it felt a bit weird posting that I would “end the week on a positive” when I was feeling anything but.

I think this is where a more nuanced understanding of positivity can help. Having a positive attitude isn’t about plastering on a smile and pretending everything’s ok when it isn’t.

Instead, it’s about choosing to look for moments of joy, knowing that even when you’re facing challenges, there’s always some good to be found. It might be an uplifting chat with a colleague, a sunny walk during your lunch break, or some nice feedback from a client.

Making this an intentional practice can even improve your health. Mayo Clinic shares that positive thinking is associated with myriad health benefits, including:

• Longer life span
• Greater resilience
• A stronger immune system
• Improved psychological wellbeing.

Over the past four months, my Friday positivity posts have become an enjoyable part of my week. Even when I’ve struggled to come up with three moments of joy to write in my post, I always feel a little bit lighter for taking the time to look a bit harder for them.

So, whatever you’re up against right now, I’d really encourage you to reflect on the moments of joy in your day or your week. I hope you’ll find it as beneficial as I have.

Get in touch

Here at The Yardstick Agency, we’re experts in creating engaging and effective content marketing for financial planning firms, including blogs, social media, and video. Please get in touch to find out more about how we can help you by emailing hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or calling 0115 8965 300.