Feel marvelous right now with this three minute guided meditation by Mary Jorgensen on Akimboo.com!
by Mary Jorgensen
The New Year arrives with promises of better times, the opportunity to become a better person, and a new chance to experience better outcomes from our daily efforts.
Some us have been advised to “let go” of the past, to move on to new and exciting experiences.
‘Letting go’ of the past can be easier said than done.
The potential of the New Year can quickly fade, and the same old struggle sets in. Past resentments, worries and self-doubts can creep in and before long I’m back in the potholes of daily life.
I’ve researched the best practices to create a practical strategy that can stick around long enough for good results to show up. In other words, something that’s fun and doable over a period of time. Here’s how it works:
Set up your tip jar! Find a box or a jar that you’ll call your “Tip Jar.” Pick something that pleases you and can be set aside for this purpose. Start right away, even today, to put little gratitude notes in the jar.
Sit down to write short notes for each of the reasons you feel optimistic and happy right now. One “happy note” for each bit of paper. Fold in half, toss into your jar. You’re building your account of what you’ve noticed that makes you feel good, experience joy, or boosts your confidence and good will.
As you begin to write, this trains your brain to notice what’s going well. Emphasizing what you’re thankful for, raises your level of optimism toward what’s happening next.
Bank those notes!
While you’re growing your “tip jar account,” with regular deposits, you can draw out a “happy note” anytime you need some positive feelings.
Make a withdrawal
When your day sinks into stress, worry or anger, reach into your personal tip jar and make a withdrawal. The gratitude note you wrote earlier will bring you a good memory, a smile, or a kind word.
Your tips will remind you of the challenges you’ve worked out already giving you a little dopamine boost.
Pay it forward!
Think what a “happy note” can do for you to dial down anger, worry and self-doubt.
You can free your brain to solve problems in a positive way, cooperate pleasantly with others, and become the better person you want to be.
Author of Way of the SAGE: 4 Paths to Manage Stress and Build Resilience, Mary Jorgensen provides practical tools to harness inner wisdom. Mary is an educator, life coach, and workshop designer specializing in personal growth and workplace satisfaction.
"You are doing a good job' printed card by Sarah Frydenlund
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