When you wake up in the morning, what do you feel? Most of the time, I’m excited it’s a new day. And other times I’m overwhelmed and need to work at developing a positive mindset.
Why overwhelmed, you ask? Well, I still on occasion have the mentality that I need to do all the things. And I need to do all of them today. And when that attitude strikes me, I need to remember the benefits of living in the moment.
You want to know what helps SO MUCH? I stopped making “to do lists” and started making “accomplishment lists”. Doesn’t that have a nice ring to it?
I find this simple act of reframing helps me with developing a positive mindset. It counters my notion that “to do” means to “get ‘er done” by putting my head down and powering through.
When I was operating in the realm of to-do’s, I’d have a list that spanned 20 items and if 18 got ticked off, I would focus on the two that didn’t get done. I’d be all over my sorry ass that I didn’t get the list done. What did that translate to in my brain? It sounded like: “Come on, Karen, you gotta do better. You need to step up your game. You needed to start earlier. You needed to work faster. Why didn’t you get those last two tasks done?”
Now, those two remaining items would have been something like “make meals for the next week” or “organize the Christmas decorations”. My to-do lists were never easy. I can see now that they were me setting myself up for failure. Because, seriously, with tasks so large and time consuming it was impossible to “get ‘er done”. Oh, and to be clear, I would never ever ask for help. Sound familiar to any over-achievers out there?
So as you can see, it was critical for me to focus on developing a positive mindset so I could harness the benefits of living in the moment. So I could live in a more joyful world.
The truth is, slow and steady is positive. It creates clarity and energy. It gives me the energy to have my experiences my way. It gives me the mental space to make the best decisions for me.
There is truth to slowing down and smelling the roses. Or in my case smelling the hyacinths these last few weeks. As a new season has sprung and I am welcoming it with open arms. Bring on the open-toed shoes and flowy dresses.
Why not spend a few moments reflecting on how a “get ‘er done” attitude might be preventing you from living in the moment? Do you have a “to do list” that you could turn into an “accomplishment list”? Are there other ways of developing a positive mindset you could try on for size? Transitioning from doing “all the stuff” to living in the moment is truly a big deal. It’s changing my life.
Now, what is it that I look forward to? More travel, more making dinner with loved ones, more spur of the moment activities. Or more of doing nothing at all.
Resting is something I always thought was for the lazy. I know I have talked about this before but, holy, I need to remind us all that it’s a-ok to take a breather. It’s a-ok to take a day to lounge around and watch Netflix or do whatever your little heart desires.
Consider this your permission slip. Now go do nothing, knowing that time is not against you.
BIG LOVE!!
