good.

What if today is your favorite day?

What if every day you wake up and exclaim, ‘today is my favorite day!’ – and you embody that sentiment as a feeling state that vibrates within your every cell. (do you know a child or pet who lives like this? #fouryearolds #puppies) 

What if every conversation is your favorite conversation? And the person/s with whom you are conversing is/are your favorite person/s to converse with? (do you know someone who shares this type of animation when you talk with them? – #scottroane)

What if you live today as if there is a fun surprise waiting for you at any moment?

Today is August 1. The theme chosen for August is ‘What if good?’ You can probably guess what this means. Rather than perpetuating the unexamined, dare-I-say CONSTANT, ‘what if bad’ mantra, can you use your awareness and personal power to allow for, or be curious about, the possibility of a new ‘what if…good’ mantra?  (I think I originally got this idea listening to an interview with Joe Vitale about one of his books). 

When I catch a negative thought early enough I can shift it by challenging it with, ‘what if that’s not true?’, or ‘what if it was different?’. I have also learned to recognize limiting ‘scripts’ and challenge them by creating an alternative script. I have a vivid recollection of the day I started doing this. It was early morning on a Friday. My mind story did NOT want to go to work. I caught it, and shifted the script by using my imagination to create what I would prefer to be doing. Rather than getting caught up in a negative/limiting thought process, I created a fun, uplifting, energizing ‘story’. The power is in recognizing ‘choice’, and the inherent ability to create (to create your own thoughts, new outcomes, ideas, visions, etc). The new story energized me and filled me with the feeling of possibility. I took that feeling state into the day. Was I the only one who benefited? (hint: I work with children.)

When you begin to practice noticing your thoughts, you begin to recognize your own resistance to positive outcomes. Have you ever heard the saying, ‘get out of your own way’? It’s relevant here.

Any time you ‘flip the script’, the ‘blurt’ may show up reminding you of why the ‘good stuff’ isn’t available to you. (I’ll reference The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron for this nugget of truth). The ‘blurt’ is the nagging inner voice that tells you why you should NOT consider new ways of thinking and being, rather than why you should. The ‘blurt’ finds its comfort in same – whether good or bad, it prefers what is familiar.

Self-care. Caring about yourself enough to notice your thoughts and the story you tell. Practicing self-awareness reminds you that who YOU are is the noticer. 

When you notice the ‘blurt’ you can flip the blurt. This is the difference between looping into a limiting script that keeps you stuck and spinning in ‘same’, and merging into the script you are writing as you tell a story that resonates with the desires of your heart. 

Sustainable growth outcomes are a continuous merging onto the highway of infinite possibility. Limiting outcomes keep you stuck or spinning in the roundabout. Wouldn’t it suck to be in the roundabout and not even realize it? Have you ever read/seen Dr Seuss’ The Zax? 

The cool thing about practicing self-care 101 is that no one needs to know. You can create your own curiosities and examine your own inside world all on your own, in your own time, and in your own way. When you notice (examine) your own thinking that is creating outcomes that are not satisfying, you can choose to disrupt the cycle and tell a story that feels better. Listen for the blurt that may suggest it is not ‘right’ to desire to feel better. Does that make any sense?

Uh. No.

PS. Last week I began a YouTube channel to share visual content. The videos complement the blog with simple and transferable skills, tools, and strategies that can be implemented into your daily self-care practice. The skills, tools, and strategies are intended for you first, but they can be easily transferred to those you influence as a parent, teacher, mental health provider, or life coach.