What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.- Yiddish Proverb
Few things bring laughter quicker than some soap bubbles and five minutes. Got a kid to use for cover, go grab ‘em and breakout the bubble wand. No kids available or willing to be available (“Dad I am too OLD for bubbles.”) go be a kid on your own. Better yet, go get a friend who could use some laughter and blow bubbles together.
These practices are meant to enhance your presence and participation in the whole of your life everyday. They also work when you are so flustered you bump into the coffee table that has been in the same place for 3 years or you can’t get that quarrel with a colleague out of your head.
Practice these exercises while following the main elements of mindfulness, combining awareness of your breath with focusing on the activity at hand, you will be able to experience every moment as fully as possible.
Fusion energy- the result of two positively charged elements combined into a single element. It is what powers the sun, and the stars. What about the same principle holding true for people and human systems? When the positive stuff within each of us fuses with the other positive stuff, instead of bouncing around as seemingly unrelated aspects or attributes.
Our joy in life connects with the work we do to earn a living. Going to work is not a drag. Our values meld with how we choice to spend our free time. We do that things we enjoy for both pleasure, as well as those things that other might call altruistic. Innate strengths couple with talents. And we discover a new professional path to follow. Health in one area of life connects with health in others, resulting in greater well-being. That is a magnificent experience to have the good stuff fusing away as a wellspring of energy and action.
A client of mine, Debbie, a small business owner, wife and mother of two, described her experience like this. “I am both grounded and energized. My presence at work and home is thoughtful and active. I am able to be reactive to life but not scattered. My business is moving into a new phase which I am excited about.” She dug for the good stuff in herself and her life, and used that to make decisions about where to focus her business energies, which freed her up to be more present with her sons and husband. She actively decided what she would let go of and what to say ye to. When the road a head was riddled with doubt she returned to the core of these positives to keep a grip and perspective.
Here are two ways that can help you dig for the good stuff.
I could not say it better than Leo Babauta, of Zen Habits, one of the keys to the person success is a positive and grounded approach life. Any of the success I’ve had in cultivating new habits and achieving things in the last few years has been underscored by applying what I have learned from positive psychology and cultivating positive change with my coaching clients to my own life. Click here for Tips on Being a Positive Person.
Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone. ~ Gladys Bronwyn Stern
Gratitude: to feel or show that one values a kindness or benefit. (Oxford American Dictionary)
Martine Seligman writes “Insufficient appreciation and savoring of the good events in your life and the overemphasis of the bad ones are the two culprits that undermine serenity, contentment and satisfaction.” However feeling and expressing gratitude seems to increase life satisfaction because it focus on and intensifies the experience of good memories about the past, both recent and more distant path.
So how to get more gratitude in your life? Practice. Practice. Practice. Here least three simple practices you can try. The most powerful for the majority of people are the Gratitude Journal, and the Gratitude Visit. These practices have been used by many people and have been show to increase people sense of happiness and feelings of well being over time. The third practice is a bonus, Everyday Gratitude, falls under the heading of manner don’t cost you much but can reap large rewards.
Gratitude Journal or Three Good Things
At the same time each day write down at least three things for which you are grateful. Write by hand to connection yourself physically with these good memories and strive to come up with more than three things, shoot for say 10. These may be things that went well that day or they could be other things in your life. Here are some examples:
“Hearing my nephews laugh over the telephone.”
“Managing my time well which enabled me to cross one extra thing on my list.”
“I did not blow up today when I got cut off in traffic.”
“Rufus Wainwright’s version of Zing! Go The Strings of My Heart.”
Gratitude Visit
In the simplest terms, write and deliver a thank you letter to someone you have not fully thanked for their kindness. Think about someone you who has had a tremendous positive impact in your life and whom you have yet to fully thank. Take time over several days or a week to write a one page testimonial letter expressing you thanks for why you feel this deep gratitude. Once you have written the letter, deliver it in person and read it to them with your sincere emotions if possible. If not, read it to them over the phone. Let the recipient’s reaction unfold, slowly.
Everyday Gratitude, pass it along. – Bonus practice
Say thank you to someone everyday. Remember to verbally thank people – especially when they aren’t expecting it. Did the counter clerk do a good job, stop, look the person in the eye and offer a sincere Thank you. The small things really do matter and compound.
To get a sense of the full effect of how powerful these practices can be, try this. Write down your answers to the following questions on a piece of paper or journal first before you start these practices and then two weeks after you have been practicing. I bet you’ll find a shift up the scale.
Website by Smartflex | LOGIN | San Diego Web Design | Copyright ©2010 All rights reserved.
