It can be hard to find positives when you're months into a job search.

The daily hunt for opportunities that match your skills is wearing. Customizing your resume for each application is exhausting. Waiting to hear back, often never getting a response, is draining. And the constant rejection is crushing.

It can feel like every day is a new chance to have your hopes dashed.

When things get tough, there's something you can do to lift your spirits, and it's completely free and totally easy.

Notice something beautiful.

For years, I commuted past the seacoast, and each day I was struck by how different and magnificent the view was. Whether the ocean was churning and crashing or there was barely a ripple, it was amazing. The act of noticing and appreciating the beauty was a positive, calming start to the day.

I take weekly walks with a friend (another thing I highly recommend), and she's great at noticing examples of small beauty. From the scent of lavender growing in someone's yard to funky architectural details, she's quick to point out these tiny instances of beauty that otherwise would go unnoticed.

Today, from my window, I can see the buds on a cherry tree. It's a scraggly, half-dead eyesore most of the year, but for a few days, it's breathtaking. I see neighbors walking by and pulling out their phones to snap pictures. Capturing the beauty.

Beauty doesn't need to be something you find in nature. You can find it in dinner cooking on the stove, a company logo, or a friend's smile. And it doesn't need to be visual. It's in the sound of wind chimes, the smell of freshly cut grass, or a hug.

So if you feel down and are focusing on what's going wrong, take a minute and look for some beauty.

It's anywhere, everywhere, in our everyday lives...if we notice it.