Yesterday, I posted, glumly, that I had “failed all over the place” at being more positive but that I wasn’t going to beat myself up about it. I didn’t elaborate, and plenty of my friends weighed in with words of support. Thing is, I already knew it was a step in the right direction because I was more aware of my negative responses — even if I wasn’t catching them before I opened my mouth or acted.
Today, I spent a wonderful day out and about, hitting yard sales, enjoying brunch with friends, and wandering town with Hubby and Kiddo. I managed to get some good selfies while we were in and around Chinatown:
Pauses in my day were spent considering what a simple “mantra” might be for me; I think I finally came up with something:
Be present, be patient, be calm,
be open, be thankful, move on.
I could have added things like “drink water,” “get moving,” and “create things” but I feel like the emotional/mental/spiritual things need to come first and will need more reminders.
Be present reminds me to focus on what is happening around me. Be patient should be self explanatory. Be calm is my cue to breathe and to think before I speak or act. Be open reminds me not to dismiss things, and to consider saying “yes” to things that are outside my comfort zone. Be thankful is because I need to practice gratitude. Move on is to remind me not to get hung up about things I can’t change, projects I’ve finished, and people who are toxic.
A lot of this is going to manifest as internal self-speak as I try to form new habits, and hopefully it will also be reflected in my behavior. If it works, I’m gonna cross-stitch that mantra and maybe even write an e-book about the process.