LOOK FOR THE GOOD
My mom used to tell me this all the time: “Look for the good.”
It’s one of those simple phrases that, as a kid, you kind of brush off. But as I’ve gotten older, I realize it’s one of the most powerful life lessons she ever taught me.
She taught me to look for the positive things in life — to notice the light, even when things feel dark. Whether it was a hard day, a disappointment, or even just dealing with people who seemed impossible to like, she would always remind me, “There’s always something good if you look for it.”
And she was right.
Everyone has something good about them. Even people who seem mean, difficult, or broken in some way — there’s still a spark of good hidden somewhere inside. My mom would say, “Even the worst people in history had qualities that could teach us something.” It doesn’t excuse their actions, but it shows that goodness — in some form — exists everywhere.
For example, someone might have used their influence in terrible ways, but that same influence could have been powerful if directed toward love instead of hate. The lesson isn’t to glorify what’s wrong, but to recognize that even in the darkest stories, there’s still something to learn — a thread of good that can guide us toward better choices.
When you train your eyes to look for good, you start to see life differently.
You notice kindness in strangers.
You find beauty in the ordinary.
You begin to believe in hope again.
And maybe, most importantly, when you start looking for the good in others… you begin to see the good in yourself, too.
So today, and every day, I try to remember what my mom taught me:
Look for the good.
Because it’s always there — waiting for you to find it.
Here I am on my mom’s lap learning all about looking for the good. And 50 years later still looking at the positive side!
