The average human breathes in and out around 20,000 times a day. Recently, I have been feeling extra blessed every morning. I remind myself that today is my privilege and not my right.
We all know that the future is not guaranteed. Yet, I’ve noticed that my mindset and actions sometimes show that I forget. Why else would I let the small things bother me so much? Is spilled coffee or a barking dog worth a reaction? Put into perspective, of course it’s not.
The “small” things get to us – that’s ok. We’re human. It’s okay to feel unlucky and blessed at the same time.
The truth is, I’ve been catching myself having fleeting pity parties as of late. 2020 is just plain wearing me out. I feel old, sore, overwhelmed, overburdened, and outmaneuvered.
Sometimes, people around me can be part of the problem. The more exhausted the world is the more I feel it. And exhaustion is everywhere.
Somedays, after the responsibilities of the day are over, I feel like I have no energy for the ones that I love and need to spend more time with. Kim, Ziggy, and Gracie – I apologize for these days. I’m working on being more present.
I am done with my 2020 temper tantrum. If you feel this way too, say it out loud please. And then move on. I have. I am forgiving myself for being cranky, for complaining, and for feeling unlucky despite everything that I have to feel lucky about.
And if you feel this way you should forgive yourself, too.
Every morning, I remind myself that I’m afforded 20,000 precious breaths a day.
How will you use them? I am going to choose not to waste my energy on negative reactions or thoughts. I won’t always be successful with this – but I will be intentional.
No matter what happens to you today or tomorrow, this is your life. Even when things feel like they’re out of control, you hold much more power than you realize. You, and only you, are in charge of your reactions.
I have four simple principles that help me live this way:
- I live in daylight compartments. At the end of each day, I close the chapter and compartmentalize. I will not let a bad yesterday create a bad today, tomorrow, etc. What’s done is done – I get to decide where it goes from there. Thanks, Dale Carnegie for this lesson.
- I know things happen for the best possible reasons. Good things don’t always appear as good things in the moment. Change is hard right now, but there are always silver linings. Sound familiar to those of you that just started to workout or to start a new morning routine? This came from Zen and the Art of Happiness.
- I give my energy to those that reciprocate. I have learned to give zero time to energy vampires. This wasn’t always easy. Most of the time, energy vampires don’t realize the impact that they have on those around them. This can make closing yourself off to them all the more difficult. Start slow and be open with them – clearly communicating your boundaries will go far.
- I trust. It can be hard for me to let go of the reigns in many different areas of my life – especially when it comes to my business. When I feel the weight of the world on me, I remind myself that it is my own doing. Then I choose to trust those around me and help them believe in themselves. When I trust in others, the world feels a lot less heavy.
Every day, I’m choosing to live by these four principles. I still have bad days – one where all four of these seem impossible to do. But every day I’m getting better at learning to let go of expectations and to stop reacting to situations I have no control over. And every day, I feel a little more at peace.
Even in a year like 2020, we are incredibly lucky to live the life we’re living.
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