Today is the 2nd of January and I’m brimming with enthusiasm for what this wonderful, fresh year of opportunities holds for me. It’s tangible, the air of excitement of a new year with unlimited possibilities. I know a lot of other people are feeling the same and I’ve seen a lot of planning, goal and intention setting happening in my part of the world.
It’s a wonderful thing and I hope it continues in the same vein. However as we all know, life is not always sunshine and unicorns and it tends to throw us curve balls occasionally, and even without curve balls, some days are just damn funky, and enthusiasm and energy seems to be hiding under the huge pile of laundry to be washed and the dirty dishes in the sink.
These are the days that it’s a little more challenging to leap out of bed, make our healthy breakfast and get shit done during the day. These are the days that our bed seems to call us back all day and it feels as if nothing we do makes a difference anyway.
These are the days that more than any others, we still need to acknowledge that in fact, we do get shit done and we do make a difference.
I rewatched a TED Talk by Sarah Trimmer yesterday that reminded me of exactly these days and I love her approach to life. She has had more than her fair share of challenges, but I’ll let her tell you her story herself.
One of Sarah’s simple yet powerful strategies for maintaining her positive outlook is to remind herself of five things at the end of every day.
They are:
1) Today I am grateful for…..
2) Today I helped someone by…..
3) Something that made me happy today was…
4) Today I learned….
5) Tomorrow I will…
No matter what each day brings, we can usually find at least one answer to each of the above questions.
I invite you to ask yourself these five questions tonight, and every night before you sleep.
I have created a simple page that you can download and print for yourself to record your five things. I’ve added a little mandala for colouring in if you feel inclined as well.
Here it is, please feel free to share with your friends. start-and-end-happy
Enjoy!
