life coach rona 16 07 17 restart

 

Yesterday morning, prior to heading out as a family moods were off, tensions escalated and emotions took over. You may be familiar with the scene: everyone mad at everyone and each thinking the other is at fault. –Not a great way to begin the day together as a family.

Then, I did something my daughter would do as a young girl when our day got off on the wrong foot and I asked: “Can we start this day over?”

This question was and still is like a magic eraser. We collectively agreed to start over. We wiped our individual slates clean of the hard feelings and bad attitudes and went on to have a nice day together.

Often, we get hooked onto our moods, negative thoughts and attitudes. We think “I am just in a bad mood.” Though sometimes this simply is the case, most times it’s just our lack of understanding that we have a choice.

We can choose to put down the negative attitudes and hard feelings. We can drop them like a heavy, oversized piece of luggage and move forward without the baggage!

This is the core benefit of mindful living: Being aware of our thoughts and actions and in that awareness when things aren’t going as we’d like, remembering that we can choose a different path. (Then having the courage to go down that path becomes sometimes it’s hard. )

So then next time you get off to the wrong start with your child, spouse, or even yourself I hope you will remember the simple but magical question: “Can we start this day over?”

Begin anew!

 

life coach rona 16 07 10 frog meditate

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”

~Dalai Lama


Ancient and modern thought leaders, and now modern science tells us that the path to happiness is training the mind.

The best tool for training the mind is meditation.

Start simply. One minute. Sit comfortably and with dignity. Watch your breath as it goes in and out of your body. As thoughts emerge (and they will! ) say to yourself: “Isn’t that interesting” and allow the thought to pass––without judging or clinging to the thought.

The benefit of meditation as it relates to your happiness is so that in your life when your buttons get pushed you can notice your thoughts as they arise. Say to yourself “Isn’t that interesting" and allow the fear, the anger, the perceived injustice to pass–– without judging or clinging to the thought and emotion. Then, you can respond from a place of calm versus reacting out of the disturbance.

That’s the practice. –Are you willing commit to one minute a day? (Or, more if you are so inclined!)

(Many of my clients have started or deepened their meditation practice by taking Oprah and Deepak’s FREE 21-Day Meditation Challenge. You can sign up here: chopracentermeditation.com/about-us )

Namaste!