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Tag: explore

36 ways to cultivate gratitude

  1. Write a letter.
  2. Meditate.
  3. Look at old photos.
  4. Go for a walk.
  5. Cook a special meal.
  6. Start a journal.
  7. Send flowers.
  8. Bake cookies.
  9. Take new photos.
  10. Compliment someone.
  11. Sit in nature.
  12. Praise a colleague.
  13. Call a relative.
  14. Hug warmly.
  15. Savor a cup of tea.
  16. Listen to soft music.
  17. Smile.
  18. Concentrate on your breathing.
  19. Acknowledge a stranger.
  20. Teach what you know.
  21. Block out time in your calendar.
  22. Surprise a loved one.
  23. Make a playlist.
  24. Wake up to watch the sun rise.
  25. Give to a meaningful cause.
  26. Watch the sun set.
  27. Observe your thoughts.
  28. Move slowly, intentionally.
  29. Volunteer.
  30. Do an online yoga class.
  31. Watch clouds pass.
  32. Download a new podcast.
  33. Start a new project.
  34. Recognize kindness.
  35. Say thank you.
  36. Love.

Power down

Do you power down your devices or put them to sleep? Are your machines and electronics constantly running or do you turn them off to conserve energy?

What about yourself?

When was the last time you gave yourself a day to “switch off” — a day disconnected from alerts and email dings and calendar reminders. A day powered down and turned inward to reflect and enjoy the people around you.

Schedule one day this week for a “digital detox.” Your smartphone can wait and whatever email arrives in your inbox will be there tomorrow.

Extend the life of your battery. Power down.

Consume or create

The internet has made it easy to sit back and watch and endlessly consume other people’s opinions, actions, projects, and work. It is now so easy to be a passive observer, to be someone who sits on the sidelines while others play in the game.

It is difficult to create. It takes time and dedication and focus. It takes courage to put something out in the world, something that might be discarded or mocked or rejected or possibly even ignored. But your livelihood requires this of you. Your happiness and passion are fueled by creativity. Building, writing, drawing, pasting, singing, connecting — these actions will inspire you.

Read good writing. Look at art. Find pictures and places that inspire you. But don’t count on others to do all of the work. Set a goal, make a few mistakes, and love the process. Your heart needs this.

Restoring health

An ayurvedic center in Nepal offers one month programs for people who have fallen out of good health. The team of practitioners systematically target different elements in the body in the belief that once balance is restored, the person will return to a calmer, more peaceful state of wellbeing. Throughout the month, clients receive weekly recommendations designed to detoxify and restore the body. Therapies incorporate diet, yoga, cleansing, and a series of ayurvedic practices. Participants are discouraged from engaging in unnecessary work — especially online — and follow a daily schedule, waking around 6:30am and sleeping by 10pm.

The center is simply decorated, a table of organized bottles of herbs and oils resting beneath a bright window. “What happens when clients return home?” I asked.

“One of two things usually happens,” the manager replied, his smiling eyes gentle and kind. “The person returns to same challenges with a renewed perspective, better equipped to make decisions, or they make changes after realizing their situations no longer serve them.”

The truth is we all have some habit that could be reevaluated. I don’t think you need to come to Nepal and spend a month in a health facility to make adjustments in your life, but you will need focus and a commitment to yourself. And if you need guidance, please don’t hesitate to find a suitable health practitioner near you.

By bringing mindfulness to each day, it is possible to assess whether the decisions we make are helping us become healthy, informed, and balanced.

How do you start your day?

The actions you take when you first get up in the morning set the tone for the rest of your day.
Do you check Facebook or emails while you’re still in bed?
Do you savor your first cup of coffee or drink it hurriedly over office briefs?
Do you speak kindly to your family or grudgingly rush out the door?
Do you allow five minutes to meditate or begin reviewing your to-do list?
Do you wake up thirty minutes early and stretch or do you race to your first meeting?
Use your morning to intentionally create thoughtful habits. Mindful routines and rituals build foundations for success, and advance preparation can help banish the worry and anxiety that stem from haste.
Have a great morning and watch your afternoon unfold with peace and calm.

A recipe for finding answers

Go someplace quiet
Where you are truly alone
Turn off everything
Your phone, especially
And sit
Listen to your thoughts
Five minutes
Where does your mind take you
Ten minutes
Where does your heart take you
Fifteen minutes
What do you really, really want?
Be still
Be quiet
Repeat once a week (at least!)
And watch your life unfold