Did you see that post on Facebook? Did you catch the last news broadcast on one of the gazillion TV sets or monitors hanging virtually everywhere, including at the gas pump? Did you see that crazy viral video on Youtube or overhear yet another conversation that was less than inspiring? ACK!!! What’s a human to do when being bombarded by SO many opinions and so many views about what is “true” or “normal” for life in the 21st century?
When you think about all this media and expression clutter, the idea of finding a nice, isolated cave on a far-away mountain or building a hut on a deserted beach a zillion miles from civilization can become pretty darn appealing! Believe me; I’ve considered rounding up my hubby and kitties and doing exactly that on more than one occasion! BUT with the expansion of our technology and the massive variety of ideas floating out there in the stratosphere, an equal and opposite wave carrying more information and options for experiencing FUN, inspiration, laughter, adventure and love than were once contained in the famed Library of Alexandria has ALSO made its way into our lives!
This is indeed a time of extremes, and we humans have created the biggest buffet EVER known, full of more things than we could ever taste in a single lifetime. But just like any buffet, YOU get to choose what you put on your plate. Yes, sometimes when large numbers of people gravitate toward a certain item or the “experts” have very clear opinions about what the “right” choices ought to be, it makes sense that even the most typically tuned-in souls can find themselves selecting something that really is NOT their favorite dish, and in some cases tastes downright awful! But take heart, dear friends, because any time you sample even the most bitter morsel—especially the one that tells you that you are not enough in some way—often this is THE catalyst that makes you decide, once and for all, that you are going to pay more attention to what you put on your plate, and that you are going to consistently feed yourself with things that ADD energy, joy and sweetness to your life!
Ready to start enjoying your buffet time more, savoring more fabulousity and become a connoisseur of awesomeness?!
Here are a few items that you just may enjoy putting in your cup and on your plate:
Start Your Day with a Cup of Appreciation: Like the idea of starting your day by directing what goes into your cup, rather than letting media blasts or conversations of the moment fill your cup with funk for you? Let the first words you utter be “Thank you!”
When you wake up with appreciation in your heart and start mentally listing the things that ARE good about your now, you start creating a recipe for more and more delicious moments! Taking the extra step to put appreciation in writing adds even more momentum to the “I AM thriving” vibe, and before you know it—unless you deliberately go looking to stir up trouble—life starts meeting you at the door with more and more GOOD news and the very best ingredients to yield a cup full of awesome! When you are consistent with this practice, here’s another bonus: Even when you do take in things that result in an out-of-whack day, your recovery time becomes much faster than you could even begin to imagine. Try it for 30 days and watch this one simple act transform your life!
Let Your Nose and Your Gut be Your Guide: If something smells nasty or makes your stomach turn, do you stay planted right where you are to breathe in as deeply as possible or keep shoveling icky food into your mouth? No way, Jose! The same is true for times that your “inner” nose and that powerful feeling in your gut is telling you something! Think of these as your early detection systems and use them for EVERYTHING: Facebook posts, videos, phone calls, music, surfing the net, conversations, etc. If you are getting the sensation of the sweet smell of success and things feel oh-so-groovy, then set awhile and savor it to the MAX! If your funk radar goes into red-alert mode, cease and desist ASAP! This way you experience a heck of a lot more thriving and much less stinky “blind-siding.”
Stop Watching the Pot! I have driven myself bonkers on more than one occasion checking on responses to messages, or keeping track of RSVP counts for this or that a gazillion times too many, so I recently decided try a little experiment: I would only check my e-mail one to two times/day max, allow myself to have cyber-free weekends, put my phone in “airplane mode,” and only peek in on RSVP counts when I absolutely needed to know for the sake of space and supplies. You know what I found? I had a lot more time available to focus on the things that matter, my productivity went through the roof, and I experienced much less of the self-imposed emotional rollercoaster ride that came along with the constant ups and downs of RSVP counts! Hmmm… A certain “Watched pot…” statement seems to come to mind.
Take a Small Helping of “ER” for Momentary Indigestion: Let’s face it. Every human being on the planet has occasional less-than-stellar moments, and the more you are used to thriving, the crappier those down moments feel! When you’ve done all you can to feel better to no avail, sometimes a little “ER” (Express and Release) can be just what the doctor ordered to relieve emotional indigestion. Now, in all fairness, do keep in mind Law of Attraction 101: What you focus on expands, AKA becomes more, AKA gains momentum, AKA gets bigger. It doesn’t matter if you are focusing on hating hate, talking about current events because they are “current,” or buying into self-criticism for the “right” reasons. If you are focusing in a way that does not feel good, you create more not-feeling-good thoughts, feelings and experiences, PERIOD. By the same token, resisting or suppressing negative emotions or trying really hard to “make” yourself “be happy dammit!” does not feel good either!
What’s an Awesome Allower to do? Release the resistance in ANY way you can by making peace with how you feel. I have found a good place to start is to say to myself, “I feel angry/hurt/insert-emotion-here right now, and it’s okay.” On many occasions, this has been ALL I needed to do to let go of the funk and get my groove back
Sometimes, we all need to take things a step further and have what I call “ER” time. Find a place where you can cry or scream at the heavens, or pick one lucky person* <lol!> who can hold the high ground for you while you spew and give it your all. If you let it rip and do it really well, without expressing ad nauseum by posting the tale of your plight over and over again on Facebook or tell that icky story to multiple people, ONE time in the ER is often enough to put you back on the road to recovery.
*By the way, it is nice to do your best to remember to ask your victim’s—uh, friend’s—permission before spewing.
Give Yourself a Spoonful of Sugar: After a recent ER experience of my own, I decided to ask myself “How can I be nice and good to me right now?” I then started writing down anything that came to mind, and resolved to do as many things on my list as possible that day—and EVERY day. I was thrilled to find that in less than 24 hours I went from an acute case of the bummers to feeling light, free and on fire once again!
Just as you would be gentle and kind to a friend who is going through a rough time, this gesture of self-love can really go a long way, baby, and rather than wait until you are really down in the dumps, why not be good to you EVERY day? What can you do right NOW to be nice to yourself?
Here are some items that made my list that may get your wheels turning:
- Get out in nature
- Take the pressure off of myself my lightening up my schedule
- Put on great music and dance
- Drink more water
- Write appreciation
- Visit with happy dogs that I meet in the park
- Unless I am REALLY in the flow and on a roll, get off the computer and stop working by midnight
- Only watch and read things that feel light and fun before preparing for bed
- Pet our sweet kitties
The Bottom Line on Allowing YOUR Success in LIFE: Thriving in the 21st Century
After much sampling and experimentation, I have found that all roads that are about thriving or some form of success start with and lead to LOVE. Imagine waking up every day fully appreciating and feeling love for your SELF? Imagine what it could be like to love and value ALL of the relationships in your life? Imagine how well your body, mind, and spirit would feel if you decided to fully love your LIFE? For me, there is no greater success or experience of thriving than this!
Logic also tells you that any path that would take you away from feeling and experiencing love—no matter how much money, praise, or “security” was “promised” at the conclusion of your suffering—is just like deliberately eating a plateful of the worst-tasting things imaginable so you can then finally earn the right to eat what you really want later (which is not guaranteed, by the way)! Why, oh why, do this when you can sip, savor, and enjoy what you love right NOW?
In any case, these ideas are just more items on the buffet of life, so you are free to pile them on to your plate, only pick one little sprinkle, or choose something else entirely without spoiling anyone else’s appetite in any way . Go forth and sample the banquet of life on YOUR terms, my friends, and no matter what you choose, may it fill YOU up with as much good stuff as possible!
Let the 21st century thriving feast begin!