The other day, my friend Gretchen said, “I decided I have to be happy. I’m going to find something awesome in each thing I do until I feel grateful and feel the purpose of my life again.”
I love this. I love this more than gratitude lists, which can feel contrived. In looking for something to be celebrated in everything we do, we automatically shift our thinking. This is a practice that can help bring one out of depression, that can shift the energy of one’s life, and can even get things moving again, if one’s life has been feeling stagnant.
I’m going to try it out in my own life, to see (and feel) it’s effects.
What did I do today?
*I drove to West LA.
*I hung out with a friend while she worked on my hair.
*I had lunch with my husband.
*I took a nap.
*I packed for an upcoming trip.
*I wrote my September newsletter.
*I caffeinated another friend.
*I did laundry.
*I walked the dog.
One awesome thing from each:
*I’m actually going to start with acknowledging that I got a lot done today, despite feeling physically poorly.
*I used my extensive knowledge of short cuts and traffic patterns to cut 30 minutes off my trip. Also, on the way back, I saw a jeep with a Banksy tire cover, which was pretty awesome.
*I got my friend’s baby to sleep, while providing grown up time and supplemental income for my friend.
*Having lunch with my husband was, in itself, awesome, but it was also made possible by his new job.
*Taking a nap was practcing good self-care.
*Packing for the trip was awesome because (a) trip, and (b) I’ve got this down to a science.
*Writing my newsletter helped me to focus forward on September, which is a powerful month.
*The fact that I get to provide people with hand-made, quality caffeination is completely awesome.
*Doing laundry de-stresses me. Any household task that lessens my stress rather than increasing it is awesome.
*Walking the dog brings him such joy. He has a great big yard to run around in, but he loves going out and seeing the world. Dog joy, in case you didn’t know, it contagious.
Wow. I just changed by day from a fairly mundane, possibly even hectic day to a really positive one. Nice.
Your turn.