Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Things I know: Break the Routine!
Things I know: Break the Routine!: Most days I wake up around the same time, go through the same morning routine, drive the same route to work. I like to go to the same restau...
Break the Routine!
Most days I wake up around the same time, go through the same morning routine, drive the same route to work. I like to go to the same restaurants, order my favorite meals...basically, like most people, I get comfort from following the same routine. In fact, on the days I don't follow my routine, I feel a little off. We are creatures of habit, us humans. There's never any growth in comfort, though. Time travels fast in comfort...the same routine every day leads to months, then years. Today is a good day to shake things up a little!
Now I'm not saying to do something crazy...I'm just saying that a break in the routine is good for the soul. I think when we get into a routine and do the same things the same way, everything falls into a routine...our thoughts, how we see things, how we hear things. Start out small...drive a different way to work, change the order of your morning activities, go somewhere new for lunch... You'll never find a better way of doing something if you don't try something new. For many years, I have driven to my sister-in-law's house the same way. I always thought there should be a better way to get there, but for years I didn't try. Then one day I decided to get off a few exits early and make my way through the back roads...what's the worst that could happen? Well, of course, I found a better, faster, more direct route. Even if I didn't, I would have had something different to look at...maybe found a new store to go to...anything new. My point is, if you stay in the same routine, day in and day out, your life will be the same, day in and day out. Growth, new discoveries, new ideas and new ways of doing things happen outside the routine.
Life happens outside the routine!
Now I'm not saying to do something crazy...I'm just saying that a break in the routine is good for the soul. I think when we get into a routine and do the same things the same way, everything falls into a routine...our thoughts, how we see things, how we hear things. Start out small...drive a different way to work, change the order of your morning activities, go somewhere new for lunch... You'll never find a better way of doing something if you don't try something new. For many years, I have driven to my sister-in-law's house the same way. I always thought there should be a better way to get there, but for years I didn't try. Then one day I decided to get off a few exits early and make my way through the back roads...what's the worst that could happen? Well, of course, I found a better, faster, more direct route. Even if I didn't, I would have had something different to look at...maybe found a new store to go to...anything new. My point is, if you stay in the same routine, day in and day out, your life will be the same, day in and day out. Growth, new discoveries, new ideas and new ways of doing things happen outside the routine.
Life happens outside the routine!
Monday, January 5, 2015
Things I know: A Little Bit of Appreciation...
Things I know: A Little Bit of Appreciation...: Do you want to know the fastest, sure fire way to get out of a bad mood? Think about all the things in your life that you are thankful for! ...
A Little Bit of Appreciation...
Do you want to know the fastest, sure fire way to get out of a bad mood? Think about all the things in your life that you are thankful for! It works like a charm...providing you can control your thoughts enough to focus on appreciation. That's the hard part, right? We all know that thinking about things we are grateful for will improve our mood....it's just hard to think about them when we are in the grips of a bad mood. So how do we do it? Well, I start out slow. If I try to force gratitude into my negative thought pattern, my mind resists and I find myself even more negative than I started out to be. But I find that if I can find one small thread, I can build on that thought, no matter how small. From there, I find it just a little bit easier to find another thought, then another...well, you get the picture.
A few weeks ago, I was having a bad day...you know the kind, when you are hit with everything from a stubbed toe to depressing news...and everything in between! Well, I had a presentation to do late in the afternoon and I was not feeling very upbeat and positive. I feared my presentation would fall flat and I would be a huge flop. The problem was, no matter how much I tried to force happy thoughts and appreciation into my consciousness, I just couldn't get past my glum. I was getting a little panicky, which only made me feel worse. Finally, in my frustration, I put my head in my hands...and I noticed that my hair felt really soft...and I liked that. From there, I remembered a complement that someone had given me about my hair the day before. From there, I was able to pull up more gratitude until I was doing okay. I did fine in my presentation, not my finest, but fine. I'm not looking for miracles, but improvement...through Appreciation. I know how minor the softness of my hair is...how inconsequential in the big picture...but it was the one small thing that was the catalyst for me to change my thought momentum. So the next time you're feeling down...look for that one small thing. You never know what it will be.
A few weeks ago, I was having a bad day...you know the kind, when you are hit with everything from a stubbed toe to depressing news...and everything in between! Well, I had a presentation to do late in the afternoon and I was not feeling very upbeat and positive. I feared my presentation would fall flat and I would be a huge flop. The problem was, no matter how much I tried to force happy thoughts and appreciation into my consciousness, I just couldn't get past my glum. I was getting a little panicky, which only made me feel worse. Finally, in my frustration, I put my head in my hands...and I noticed that my hair felt really soft...and I liked that. From there, I remembered a complement that someone had given me about my hair the day before. From there, I was able to pull up more gratitude until I was doing okay. I did fine in my presentation, not my finest, but fine. I'm not looking for miracles, but improvement...through Appreciation. I know how minor the softness of my hair is...how inconsequential in the big picture...but it was the one small thing that was the catalyst for me to change my thought momentum. So the next time you're feeling down...look for that one small thing. You never know what it will be.
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