Five Good Things Reset
Counter every negative thought with five specific good things
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 68%
Humphrey rejects unrealistic wellness routines (meditation, lemon water, gratitude journals) in favour of one simple, repeatable move. Whenever a negative thought arrives, you stop it and immediately replace it with five good things — and crucially they can be small. His worked example: catching himself thinking he'd neglected his partner during a busy day, he lists five positives from that same day (waking up together, making her tea, doing the school run, fetching tablets for her headache, still having the whole evening ahead). Because gratitude behaves like a muscle, the practice feels forced at first and then becomes natural. Recognising the good day also makes you more present and deliberately good the next day, compounding the effect.
Origin
Humphrey says he picked up the technique from High Performance guests and offers it as his personal tip for anyone who struggles with gratitude, framing gratitude as a muscle you have to exercise.
Core principles
- 01Gratitude is a muscle you have to work before it comes naturally
- 02Positive self-talk is the starting point for gratitude
- 03The good things don't have to be big to count
- 04Naming a good day makes you more present and grateful the next
- 05Small, repeatable practice beats unattainable perfect routines
How to run it
- 1
Catch the negative thought
Notice the moment a negative or self-critical thought enters your head, such as 'I've been too busy and neglected someone'.
- 2
Stop it deliberately
Interrupt the thought instead of letting it run, treating this as the trigger to switch modes.
Watch out If you skip the stop and go straight to listing, the negative thought keeps looping underneath.
- 3
Name five good things
Immediately list five genuinely good things — and keep them small and specific rather than reaching for grand achievements.
Pro tip Small, concrete items ('we had a cup of tea together') work better than abstract ones.
- 4
Recognise and carry it forward
Acknowledge that you've caught and reframed the moment, using it as fuel to be extra present and good the following day.
In the wild
Humphrey catches himself thinking, 'I've been really busy, I haven't really spoken to Harriet much.' Instead of letting it fester he lists five good things from the same day: they woke up together, he made her a cup of tea, they did the school run together, he fetched tablets and water when she had a headache, and it's still only seven in the evening so the whole night is ahead. Recognising this, he notes, means tomorrow he can be extra present.
→ A negative thought is neutralised and converted into motivation to be more present the next day.
Common mistakes
Only counting big wins
Insisting the good things be impressive makes the list hard to fill and defeats the practice; small everyday positives are the point.
Expecting it to feel natural immediately
Gratitude is a muscle — the reset feels forced at first, and quitting early means it never becomes automatic.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who struggle to feel grateful and want a low-effort daily habit that builds over time.
Not ideal for
Those seeking clinical treatment for serious depression, for which self-talk tips are not a substitute.
From the transcript
“every time a negative thought comes into your head stop that negative thought and just replace it instantly with five good things”
“gratitude i think is like a muscle i do think you have to work at it i do think you have to exercise it and…”
From the episode
How To Build A High Performance Mindset - Jake Humphrey - #408
Jake Humphrey