How do you create real change in your life? There are several easy and simple steps that don’t cost you anything but a little bit of your time. Remember that anything you do repeatedly for a minimum of eighteen days becomes a habit.
I AM STATEMENT
First thing in the morning, just after you throw the covers off, at the exact moment your feet hit the ground, say to yourself, “I am exactly where I’m supposed to be. I accept myself exactly as I am. I accept my life and all my gifts. This day is a gift to me. What I do with it is my gift to myself, God and humanity.”
It does not matter that you are a work in progress. And it has no bearing if you are far from where you wish to be in your life. The point is to change the way you view yourself and the words you use to describe yourself. If you extend yourself the gift of compassion and shift from negative to positive self-talk, you will shift your energy and change your life.
SHOW GRATITUDE
Developing your gift of self-reflection is seminal to you feeling a connectedness to humanity. Many people feel all alone as if they are wading through one battle after the next in life. To counteract this negative energy, think in terms of focusing on everything that is going right in your life and not what is going wrong. To do this, before you fall asleep each evening, take a few moments to reflect on your day and single out single person that has helped you that day. It could be a handyman who fixed something for you or a friend who lent a listening ear. Maybe a co-worker trained you on a new task. How about the person who passed you on the sidewalk and smiled and said “Hello”? Give thanks for all the people in your life that are there for you when you need them, including your friends, family, even your work family. Bathe yourself in gratitude. This will help you do ‘the math’ right in your life by giving you the opportunity to see the good that surrounds you.
CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY
Changing the words you speak will alter the course of your life and those around you because your words carry with them an energy and vibration that radiates beyond your reach like soundwaves into the atmosphere. Words filled with optimism will radiate a charge that will attract people to you because they lift others up. Conversely, negativity and griping will repulse people or worse, attract nay-sayers to you, dampening your spirit.
People all around us in the course of our day may be —for one reason or another — at an intersection in their lives. Our attitude, our words, our example can be like a beacon of light to a weary, troubled lost soul. Conversely, our negative, discouraging, cynical talk might easily nudge the confused or disheartened down a path into discouragement and despair.
LAUGH
Want to raise the serotonin levels in your brain? Laugh. When was the last time someone told you a joke? Next time you are with a friend or family member, go out of your way to share a joke. You don’t have one? Look one up on the Internet. Just the other day, a client of mine told me a joke about a parrot. I started laughing before he got to the punch line. Why? Because he was telling me a joke and that was not something he has ever done. Nor has anyone in years. I don’t know what was funnier — the silly joke or him telling me the joke. I can’t tell you how laughing for several seconds straight lifted me up. I had moments the rest of the afternoon where I laughed out loud. I shared that joke with two of my friends. They laughed like I did — before I got halfway through the joke. It was a silly, stupid joke, but that was the point. To live in the moment and experience joy is the point. Create your own rainbows.
LIFT OTHERS UP
Make a concerted effort to lift others up each and every day. How? Say something nice to someone. Even strangers. Even if you think they are wearing the tackiest outfit on the planet, comment on it in an engaging way. This will shift critical thinking to a positive uplifting mindset.
The easiest targets are the people looking down as you walk by. Just blurt out, “Hi! How are you?” I promise you, you will get them to look up, even if it is after the fact.
SEE THE GOOD IN PEOPLE
Look for something good in every single person. It takes a lot of energy – negative energy – to pick someone apart and criticize them. That is because what you are doing is deflecting — deflecting the pain and shame you feel. It also reinforces the negative vibrational energy that you are stuck in. If this is you, show yourself some compassion. Learn to forgive yourself. Finding something to admire in someone will retrain your brain to approach every situation positively.
If you try to see the good in people, you will begin to see the good in yourself.
“You will keep him in perfect peace, who’s mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26.3
