Day 2

One of the things I love about diving into learning more about how to revamp myself and my life was the synergy of it. Every time I started working on one area, it would be reinforced again and again in other programs, teachers, events, books and whatever else I was doing to heal and recover. This workshop was no exception.

On Day 2 I learned more about embracing bravery. Perfect! This was my ultimate goal, because without it I couldn’t get out of my pain cycle. So, I was all ears. First was a focus on gratitude. We know how powerful gratitude can be. Gratitude calms us, reduces stress and puts the brakes on scarcity as the speaker said. The marketing we are bombarded with every day makes us feel like we don’t have enough. This skews our thinking and makes us unhappy. The shift to an abundance mentality is key. Gratitude. Something I learned here was to not to lie to yourself when writing in your gratitude journal. It must be something you know is the truth, because your body will know. I had never thought about this before. Now when I write in my gratitude journal nightly, I make sure I’m honest with myself. Some days are harder than others, but there are ALWAYS five things to be grateful for every single day. This is a game changer to your happiness and attitude. Even when I’m in pain, I can find something to be grateful for .

On to bravery. Bravery is the recognition that things won’t be perfect. I love that! I’ve heard versions of this before but not put this way. I’ve also heard that perfectionism is based in fear! Ahhhhh, that makes a lot of sense doesn’t it? We don’t want to be judged. If we make it perfect, no judgement. I’m guilty of this. Or was. I would avoid doing things for fear of being judged. And now I’m free of that! Like, writing this book/blog! I’m laying it all out there! Some of it is embarrassing and I’m sure I will be judged by some for what i’m saying or how I’m saying it, but in the end I just want to do what I want to do and follow my path. Being brave. It’s new to me and oh so rewarding. I have no idea the outcome of this book or my blog, but I feel the need to do it so out it comes into this world!

Another note from this presentation was the idea that thinking and helping others is where you transform and become happy. And that our own basic self care needs to be met first. Did you ever see that mom at school volunteering and she’s a bit of a mess, running late, kids half dressed, hasn’t eaten, etc., but she’s there to help at school. But what is she really able to give of herself at this time? If she had taken care of herself first, she would be in a much better state of mind and would be much more productive in her volunteering.

Turning to others and helping is so important to our happiness as it gives us meaning and fulfillment. We need to not do what we think we “should” do. We need to think about what is important to us. I did A LOT of volunteering over the years at my children’s schools. I was on the PTO for four years in addition to helping in both kids classroom and the school library and special events. All very important. But, there were other issues and causes that I felt strongly about but did not spend ANY time volunteering for. That came later on, when I figured out what would be the most satisfying and where was the need the greatest? Volunteering and meaningful volunteering are two different things. Clearing that up has been very rewarding for me.

Are you looking to start a gratitude practice? Try the following:

Write down 5 things you are grateful for every night. Remember to be honest with yourself. Your body will know the truth!

Don’t be a perfectionist! Bravery is the recognition that things won’t be perfect.

Find volunteer opportunities that are meaningful to you. Do what’s meaningful, not what you think you “should” do.

Thanks for being here!