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Lately, I’ve been working on starting my days more intentionally and I’ve noticed that it’s made a big difference in my productivity and happiness. Here’s what I’ve been doing:
I start my day with 10 minutes of yoga / stretching exercises to “wake up.” I have a yoga playlist that starts my day in a good mood.
I then follow that with 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation – using either the Headspace or Calm app on my phone.
At the end of the 10 minutes, I take one additional minute in a gratitude exercise. I think of all the things I am grateful for and really concentrate on FEELING the gratitude in my chest. Inhaling and exhaling gratitude as I visualize the people/things for which I’m grateful. Actually feeling gratitude is the key.
Another key – I not only think/feel grateful for what I have but for what I will have – I think about what I am planning to have and give gratitude as if those things have already occurred.
It may sound a little nutty, but if you really feel it during the exercise it changes your mindset in very subtle but profound ways – they are no longer “dreams” or “goals” but are already a part of your (future) reality. Your brain no longer plays “what if failure” games – you know what I’m talking about. The more vivid your mental images and the more you feel the gratitude the more effective this exercise becomes.
Give it a try for a week (7 days in a row) – you’ll see what I mean. It really is amazing.
2020 has been rough in so many ways. And, while this Thanksgiving Holiday may be different for many of us, all of us have something to be grateful for. Spend just a minute of your day really focusing and feeling that gratitude – for what you have and for what you will have. After all, true happiness comes from thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.