It's the start of a new section and it's my favorite! GRATITUDE! This is the thing that will change your life forever! Why do I harp on being grateful so much? Because I know for a fact that it is the #1 thing that transformed my thinking from negative to positive. And it's so freaking easy! Just be grateful for what you already have. That's it! Completely free and it takes very little time to discover things to be grateful for. This first week we will focus on mindfulness. There are many of us that are so busy, busy, busy, we never stop and take it all in. But if we don't...if we don't stop and look around...our life is literally passing us by.
I took this picture on a Sunday afternoon after a really nice weekend filled with work and fun. We had both been working on prepping our dock for repainting for the past two days. I had gotten a ton of work done for the business and I had grabbed my kindle to reward myself with a little reading time in the sun. There was a chilly breeze blowing and every time the sun went in I got cold. So, I gave up and went in the porch where it was much warmer. A little annoyed that my plan was disrupted but I looked up from my book for a moment and this is what I saw. My life...pretty as a picture. Even though it wasn't the exact scene I wanted to play out, it was still pretty damn good. Hanging on our porch with an adult beverage, a good book and an adorable pup is great day. I decided to stop and take it all in. It's something I had never done in the past. Always rushing to the next task. But I've gotten better at it over time. Just stop once in awhile to see your life through a new set of eyes. I bet it looks a lot better than you think.
Being mindful comes in all different forms. It's about really tasting the food we eat. And I mean more than just the first few bites. Seriously, how many times to just savor the first bite or two and then go on automatic eating? Really tasting your coffee in the morning. The feel of the sunshine on your face. Watching a sunrise or sunset. The birds singing or the seeing fresh flowers. The sound of children laughing. The sound of yourself laughing. The sound of my dog snoring. These are all things that we don't take enough time to stop and enjoy. We see them, but we rarely pay attention. We look up and see a perfect sky at sunset and think...oh, cool. But do we move off our lazy butt to get a better view? I love me a good sunrise at the beach and I live 5 minutes away. I can go watch the sunrise every darn day if I want. But I don't. Because I don't take the time. If I love it, why don't I take the time? Because I always deem other things more important. Or maybe I'll do it tomorrow. While I am taking some time off with my husband this week, I promise you I will be watching a sunrise at the beach.
What are some of the things that you love and then let your mind wander while it is happening? Dinner with the family? Are you on your phone instead of enjoying the togetherness? Or are your thoughts about what you need to do after dinner is over or tomorrow? We have to train our minds to slow down and take in the current scene. It's natural for our thoughts to wonder and constantly be going over our to-do list. This is why it takes a little adjusting to really make it stick. What are some of your favorite things? Is it coffee first thing in the morning? Then make sure you really sit down and enjoy it. Take the time to savor the taste and how it makes you feel. Or when you are driving to work, put on your favorite music and sing at the top of your lungs while laughing at yourself. Or buy a flower that you love the smell of and take a whiff whenever you can. I love my gardenia! It's smells amazing! Relish it. Take it in. Stop and smell the gardenias.
All it takes is a little shift in mindset. When you see or are doing one of your favorite things, remind yourself to stop for a minute and really take it in. Enjoy it. Relish it. Be grateful for it. I would love to see you stop at least five times throughout your day to take in the moment for what it is. And if it's a good one, write it down. Go back over your written words and realize you have so much more than you think you do. Be grateful for what you have and you will receive more to be grateful for. Because you are shifting your focus on the things you love instead of the things you don't want in your life. See where I'm going with this? It's really, very simple. Not always easy, but simple.
It is Monday! My favorite day after Friday, Saturday and Sunday! I hope you are having a great week while I am taking some time with my hubby. Continue to be your badass self and remember, I'm always cheering you on!
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