“How noble and good everyone could be if at the end of the day they were to review their own behavior and weigh up the rights and wrongs. They would automatically try to do better at the start of each new day, and after a while, would certainly accomplish a great deal.” – Anne Frank
What are you doing with your time? Take inventory, be intentional, plant seeds and reap the harvest. Here are 3 “doable” things to start this week:
Write It Down: Put a notebook and pen by your bed. When you wake up, write three pages every morning of whatever comes to your mind. By allowing your sub-conscious thoughts to rise uninhibited, you can identify triggers, narratives that shape your perspective and limiting beliefs that steal your joy, zap your energy and diminish your capacity for optimism. Also, carry a small notebook with you to write down thoughts during the day. At the end of the day, take inventory – wins, losses, experiences and exchanges. Writing releases your thoughts and invites gratitude so you operate from a place of abundance rather than scarcity.
Carve Out Open Space - Adult Recess!: Start with 10 minutes and then add 5 minutes each day of quiet, uninterrupted time to wander and wonder. Stillness fosters creativity and allows new ideas to enter and unfold. A change of scenery, breaking “busy” routines, going for a walk are fundamental to fostering new insights. By moving from intensity of activity to unstructured time, we invite “satori” in – the Buddhist concept of illuminating insight. Adult recess - go play.
Say “No” More to Create Room for “Yes”: Stop people pleasing and take ownership of your days. Best-selling author Sarah Knight has written a series of books and guides on the value of saying no and setting boundaries. Her latest book F*ck No!: How to Stop Saying Yes When You Can't, You Shouldn't, or You Just Don't Want To offers practical advice to change self-defeating behaviors of People-Pleasers, Overachievers, Pushovers, or people who have serious Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).
Try these three things this week. Plant the seeds of habit, so the roots of changed behavior can take hold. Plant the seeds, reap the harvest.