# 7 Good Minutes: Extra - Drop the Grade: A 3-Step Way to Get Back Into a Good Moment

An episode of [7 Good Minutes](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1346062517), 25 Oct 2026, 1:44.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/35/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/75854884/7gm_10252026_extra.mp3

If a birthday, a free Saturday, or the first day of a trip has felt thinner than you expected, you may have caught yourself checking whether you're happy enough. In this episode, I walk through Drop the Grade: name the scorecard when it shows up, let your feelings be whatever they honestly are, and put your attention on one real thing in front of you. It's a small way to return to the moment without requiring it to be perfect. Follow 7 Good Minutes for new episodes every day. Watch 7 Good Minutes on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@7goodminutes 7 Good Minutes is presented by OCEANSCAPE and published by The Extraordinary Network.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Clyde Lee Dennis here with today's episode of 7 Good
[0:02] Speaker 1: Minutes Extra. Wanting to be happy is fine. What tends
[0:07] Speaker 1: to backfire is grading whether you're happy enough, especially in
[0:10] Speaker 1: the good moments you've been looking forward to. So here's
[0:13] Speaker 1: a simple way to handle it. I call it drop
[0:17] Speaker 1: the grade. Use it in a moment you expect it
[0:20] Speaker 1: to enjoy, like a birthday or the first morning of
[0:23] Speaker 1: a weekend away. The signal is a question in your head.
[0:27] Speaker 1: Is this as good as it should be? When you
[0:29] Speaker 1: notice it, do three things. First, name it. Just say
[0:33] Speaker 1: to yourself, there's the scorecard. You don't have to argue
[0:37] Speaker 1: with it. Naming it simply tells you that you've stepped
[0:40] Speaker 1: half outside the moment. Second, let the answer be whatever
[0:44] Speaker 1: it is. A little happy and a little tired. That's allowed.
[0:49] Speaker 1: Good moments are almost always mixed, and you don't have
[0:52] Speaker 1: to fix the mix before you enjoy what's there. Third,
[0:56] Speaker 1: put your attention on one real thing in front of you.
[1:00] Speaker 1: Not how you feel about the moment. The moment itself.
[1:03] Speaker 1: Your daughter's face in the candlelight. Your partner laughing. Then
[1:08] Speaker 1: do the next small thing that keeps you in it.
[1:11] Speaker 1: Join the song. Take the bite. It takes a few seconds.
[1:15] Speaker 1: And when you plan something good, plan the thing, not
[1:18] Speaker 1: the feeling. Here's what to expect. This won't make every
[1:22] Speaker 1: moment wonderful. Some birthdays are just okay, and that's fine.
[1:27] Speaker 1: What it can do is give you back more of
[1:29] Speaker 1: the moment you're actually in, instead of the one you
[1:32] Speaker 1: were measuring it against. Good moments don't need a score.
[1:36] Speaker 1: They just need you in them. Until next time, I'm
[1:39] Speaker 1: Clyde Lee Dennis, and this has been 7 Good Minutes Extra.

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