I believe that we receive personal growth assignments from the universe, and my present assignment, as it turns out, is fulfilling itself on Instagram.

I joined the social media platform on March 18th of this year, and two days later, I started creating “find the good” posts. This was not specifically because of the pandemic, as I had another couple of reasons—but they all work together, so yay!

The What: I am a lover of early-morning walks, and I walk just about every day. I take my phone with me for emergencies, but because I see so many “good” things, I end up using it to take a lot of pictures. I post beautiful full moons, gorgeous flowers, colorful sunrises, adorable picket fences, and even stinkin’ cute mailboxes—whatever charmingly captures my attention (you can check out my collection @lisawhitebooks).

The Why: I have always been a natural editor. I just too easily see what I consider to be mistakes. I see typos, mismatches in styles, unflattering color combinations—I see it all. Now, this ability serves me well when I’m put in charge of something that needs to be changed as well as when I’m creating something new. Give me something to revise, match, or put together in a different way, and I’m your go-to person. (Confession: I am also a Libra, and we do like balance!)

Always spying what’s wrong with something, however, is not the most positive way to go about my day, even though I’m really good at it. And I did not consciously start taking pictures to change that energy, but as the universe is pretty sly with its lessons, that result is being achieved nonetheless.

The mind anticipates and plans and is constantly troubleshooting. It does this by way of labeling, ordering, and categorizing everything in life. And because of this, it is a fantastic separator, divider, and judger. As I am a mental type, I definitely can relate to this because my mind is just a little too good at finding fault. And until I can change this pattern, I’m stuck in that loop.

The How: My change is coming from finding what’s good. Bringing more of what I’m labeling as “good” into my life helps me align with that energy. When I start off my day with this in mind (pardon the pun) I create a shift in brain chemistry, which shifts how I see the world—and I’m doing this one post at a time.

Since that first day on Instagram, I have crafted over 130 “find the good” posts. It is admittedly addictive. I absolutely love finding new things on my walks. Today’s find was a cute hot dog stand in someone’s yard, probably my most unusual find to date. And whether I have one follower or one thousand (I actually have 26—woohoo!), it matters not, for the act itself is the therapy, the cure and the reward all rolled into one.

I do know that there is more going on here than just my posts, however, because no outcome in the universe is ever singular. In other words, this is not only happening to me or for me in a vacuum. It is my assignment, yes, but as I figure it out and share it, it gets added to the collective good and we all benefit.

Find your good, and pass it on.