 Although I've seen autumn leaves each season through most of my life, I've treasured them even more over the past ten years now that I've lived in places where we don't have the changing of colors in the fall. And I'd never thought about the trees teaching us how to let go with such brilliance before.  As you reflect on letting go, what comes to mind? With letting go, we feel lighter and can begin to make space for the comfort and coziness of autumn with a hot cup of tea on a briskly cool morning, journaling, or forest bathing in the gorgeous symphony of colors.
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 You may have heard of or keep a gratitude journal where you jot down three unique things for which you are grateful each day. This practice, when done for just one week, has been shown to boost happiness for up to six months! I was so inspired by the concept of gratitude that I chose to name my company:Three Gratitudes.
Another great practice that has positive applications for both your personal and professional life is a "success journal." It's similar to a gratitude journal but you write down three successes each day. When professionals in the workplace have taken just a few minutes to document and celebrate their accomplishments each day, it's helped them negotiate raises and earn better performance reviews later. Our successes definitely add up over time; we often have forgotten the meaningful ways that we've contributed to our families, community or company months later, so a success journal can help us remember and reflect.  "Treating yourself with kindness is the cornerstone to finding peace in a frantic world,"
Mark Williams and Danny Penman, Mindfulness. On hectic days when we feel frazzled or the times when we feel criticized (either self-inflicted or from others), mindfulness can really help us shift our perspective from negativity to one of self-compassion. Compassionate Mindfulness is a path towards balance by:
Compassionate mindfulness gives us permission to make sure that we have at least one nourishing activity each day rather than a depleting laundry list of chores. How can you mindfully nourish yourself today? In addition to Mark Williams and Danny Penman's book: Mindfulness, other great resources on mindfulness and self-compassion are: Kristin Neff (Self-Compassion and her 2013 TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvtZBUSplr4) and Christopher Germer (The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion).  We all struggle with wanting things to be different sometimes, and I found these nuggets of wisdom to be so helpful when we're in that place. Here are a few uplifting insights from Shannon Kaiser's article: "18 Signs You're Exactly Where You Should Be in Life (Even If It Doesn't Feel Like It):"
Listening to a teleseminar this week, one of the participants commented that she felt really behind. The moderator noted that feeling stems from a Western mindset which creates anxiety, urgency and even a sense of panic. An Eastern approach is that we are where we need to be: we learn and grow at the pace that is right for us. We can shift from feeling behind & focusing of how far we still need to go to celebrating how much we have done and transformed. How will you celebrate where you are? Link to the full article: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-21637/18-signs-youre-exactly-where-you-should-be-in-life-even-if-it-doesnt-feel-like.html |
