We might go through the majority of our days just going through the motions, but simply and truly, it’s important we take the time to stop and smell the roses.
If you pay attention, you might catch something fun. You might notice something new and catch a piece of insight you never connected with before.
This week, I have a challenge.
Find 5 things that you either see, feel, touch, taste, smell, notice, recognize, or otherwise just use throughout your day that typically you just overlook… but now I want you to take the 30 seconds you have to stop and think more about this experience, this item and contemplate it’s worth and value in your life.
Maybe it’s closing your eyes while humming over a warming cup of tea in the evening or sitting for a few minutes with your coffee in the morning instead of just racing out the door.
If you pay attention, someone receives that payment, someone or something benefits from your payment of attention - yes, and sometimes that’s even you. 😁
Maybe you see something in the grass while you take your dog for a walk or you spot a creature in the woods near your home. Perhaps you smile and wave at a stranger on the street or open that book you’ve been meaning to read. 📚
Jot down your 5 things on a piece of paper or sticky notes to leave on your mirror in the morning or in your journal or near your bedside. Remember your opportunity to reimagine these everyday experiences and to embrace them with gratitude is actually much more powerful than what we think. 💭 🤔
It’s important to stay curious, to stay interested; it helps our brain exercise to stay strong as well as pours love and delight into our spirits.
Remember to recognize, to appreciate, and take notice of your attention.
“Paying attention is often very rewarding.”
Gratitude is Powerfully Empowering.
Pessimism is Persuasively Imprisoning.
😔
What is the one thing you can do on a daily basis to improve the health, spiritual wealth, and promote positive energy and vitality within your home?
Gratitude.
Sitting around the dinner table complaining about your days at work, moaning and groaning about school’s homework, or even instead bottling up these fears and frustrations are all damaging and destructive when practiced over and over again within our homes.
You don’t have permission to be pessimistic.
You do have permission to prosper.
Pessimism will leave you lost and empty.
Gratitude will offer you a chance to embrace even the most mundane and overlooked pieces of gold we can enjoy (take in joy).
🙏
Why can’t we find any positivity in our lives these days?
Have we missed ALL those silver linings?
Are we too caught up in the everyday grind to notice the sparkles of sunshine that trickle in throughout our day?
KIDS
I don’t have any kids myself, as you may know.
But, I LOVE KIDS.
🍎 🍏
One of the wonderful things I’ve learned over the years is the power of setting the emotional energy in the room for Kids. And while this might sound a bit woo-woo, I’m being serious. Think about how an angry outburst can cause a child to be caught petrified and scared vs. someone’s outburst of laughter causing them to lose themselves silly and get the giggles themselves!
Kids are like sponges, they feed off our energy whether we like it or not. 💯
They absorb whatever they are surrounded by, no matter the source. Place a sponge in clean sink water, the sponge will absorb clean water. 💦
Place a sponge in dirty sink water, and the gunk and filth will start to fester and grow in the nooks and crannies of the sponge and eventually the bad bacteria will end up taking over that smelly sponge.
🧽
Aside from us doing the dishes, I just want us to remember our emotional energy a bit more! We set the stage for others without even knowing it!
You can really make a huge difference in your relationship, your family, your household by just setting forth an intention with the energy you give off. I’m not telling you to “fake it til’ you make it” or bottle up 🍾 things inside waiting for a volcano eruption or emotional breakdown someday… 🌋
… but what I am saying is that we all have the choice to practice
Yes, I said practice gratitude.
📝
If we don’t ACTUALLY PRIORITIZE positive energy in our lives, we’ll likely be taken away by the rising tidal waves of negativity crashing in on us every single day.
News - Emails - Work
People being mean at the grocery store - that person who didn’t wash their hands in the bathroom 😬
Negativity can surround us, envelope us into a prison of pessimism as we talked about before. And then guess what, that becomes the exact energy we give off to others, and the cycle continues.
It’s time to be more like Olaf from Frozen and less like E’ore from Winnie the Pooh (talk about bridging generational timelines).
❄️
Practicing gratitude can be as simple as waking up each day and forcing a smile or laugh in the mirror. You can sit down with your family and give out 3 mindful reminders for what you all have to be grateful for.
You can practice gratitude through journaling, walk n’ talk meetings with yourself, or even prayerful, mindful meditation. 🧘♂️
I know many families find success repeating 3 lines of gratitude before every meal they have with their family, and I want all of us to feel encouraged to sing along! 🍽
“I am thankful for my hands and my feet, for my family and the strangers that I meet.”
“I am thankful for my water and my food, and how it helps me live with vital mind, mood and attitude!”
“I am thankful for this world and it’s many possibilities to explore and adventure, make new friends and new memories along the way.”
IN THE WORLD OF FOOD
You’ve heard me say it a time or two already, so I won’t say it again.
Processed Sugar can sweetly and subtly creep into our lives unexpectedly and seriously disrupt our natural ability to live a happy, healthy life. But it doesn’t have to.
IN THE WORLD OF HEALTH & MEDICINE
Just as a reminder, and a bit of a history lesson for us:
My role in this newsletter is to play the role of community educator, friend and supportive guide, TEACHER at the end of the day, and also student to the game of health and medicine on a global scale, learning and growing my personal interest and insights from any and all models of health around the world. 🌎
If you feel ambitious enough to leave a comment for just one ☝️ thing you’ve learned along this journey so far, I would appreciate it!
Don’t forget your challenge this week, take prime focus on your attention, embrace the overlooked and appreciate things with gratitude like never before.
Who knows what you might see? 💫
In Good Health 🌱