Self Awareness

image via angela mayhoe

take a moment

Each day is filled with pockets of silent moments that can be utilized to their full capacity.  We always find the time to think about what is not working and then proceed to put those thoughts into categories; weight issues, financial worries, not enough time, or finding that "perfect" mate. These thoughts may seem like pressing issues at the time but focusing on what is lacking will not change the situation, it will only magnify what is not working.

Every thought has two sides, wanted and not wanted:

I want more money (wanted) but being financially successful will never happen to me (unwanted)

I will work towards my summer body (wanted) but I'll make a fresh start on Sunday (you say this every Tuesday...unwanted)

I want to meet new interesting people (wanted)  but it's too hard to make new friends (unwanted)

So what steps can you take to get off this hamster wheel?  For me, it has been taking moments throughout the day to focus on something that is going well. When I intentionally place my attention on something that I'm grateful for, another thought of gratitude arrives and I immediately feel better. This isn't a 30 minute process, it only takes a couple of minutes to kick in and off you go.  The practice is to keep up with the momentum of gratitude and/or seek it again when "what is" comes back to punch you in the face.

After doing this exercise for a couple of days, I began to appreciate what was going well in my life (definitely more than we give ourselves credit for). Thoughts are always going to be around, good and bad.  The work is to just observe them and continue to be in the happy place.  The happy place is to appreciate the sunshine today instead of focusing on the rain that's coming tomorrow.  The enlighten place is to know that the sun is always shining so you can appreciate wherever you are NOW.