If pressed, would you say the world is full of more light or darkness? Even if you tend toward the optimistic, it isn’t hard to look at the world, and the actions of many in it, and believe that more people are drawn to the dark.

It’s a question I’ve been pondering for years which is why I was so captivated by a conference I attended earlier this year by the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship at the University of Michigan – an organization committed to the research and practice of positive organizing and leadership.  Professor Kim Cameron shared with us that “all living systems have an inherent tendency toward positivity.” In other words, all living organisms have a propensity toward light.

This propensity is called the heliotropic effect.

The heliotropic effect states that “every living system has a tendency toward light and away from darkness, toward that which is life-giving versus that which endangers it.” This is evidenced most simply by plants that sit in a window facing the sun and naturally turn toward the light.

Dr. Harry Cohen has written a simple but powerful book called Be the Sun, Not the Salt, on how the heliotropic effect translates into our everyday behavior. He argues that we have the choice, through our actions toward others, to be like the sun on the leaves of a plant and provide nourishment and draw others toward us. Or we can be like the salt on the roots of a plant, causing them to wither and fail to thrive.

I love the simplicity of sun or salt for checking our actions. It removes the judgment of “good” or “bad”. When planning a conversation, particularly a difficult exchange, or thinking about the day ahead, simply ask yourself. . .do I want to be the sun or the salt in this interaction? This can give a quick and powerful lens for monitoring how we show up in the world.

Dr. Cohen underscores this simplicity by saying “Don’t overthink. Don’t complain. Don’t lament. Be graceful. Be kind. And when you find yourself in the presence of salt, be gone.”

As we enter the upcoming holiday season, having a quick way to evaluate our behavior (or that of those we’re spending time with) might come in handy. Some ideas:

1.      Check yourself – are you doling out sunlight or salt with your actions or words?

2.      Protect your own roots – Toxic situations aren’t good for anyone. Notice if an environment or person is putting salt on your roots and see if you can minimize or eliminate your time spent with it/them.

3.      Practice gratitude and kindness – Actions such as these are life-giving and benefit everyone

And if you slip today, there’s always tomorrow. That’s the great thing about the sun coming up every morning. We get another chance to decide if we’re going to turn toward it.