Years ago, I went through a country music phase, y’all. I knew every artist from Garth Brooks to Patsy Cline to Alan Jackson to Reba McIntyre and then some. One of the one-hit-wonders in the early 90s was a handsome cowboy named John Michael Montgomery. His big song? Check it out:
“Life’s a dance, you learn as you go. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. Don’t worry ’bout what you don’t know. Life’s a dance, you learn as you go.”
And ain’t it true? We dance. Some days it’s one step forward; some days it’s two steps back. Often, we’re having such a good day, we could be the grand champion on “Dancing with the Stars”. Other days, we couldn’t two-step our way out of a paper bag.
Wouldn’t we all like to have more good days on the dance floor? Here’s the good news. We could, if only we’d focus on what went WELL today instead of on what went wrong. It’s that simple.
I do it on a whiteboard in my kitchen. At the top of the board in pink magic marker are the words “What went WELL today?” Before the sun goes down, I grab a marker and list all the things that happened that were truly good… evidence from my daily life that the universe is guiding me and opening doors in the right places.
We all have 24 hours in a day. If we focus on what was good about our “24”, we’ll simply draw more of what’s good to us in the next. Kind of like a magnet, eh?
Have you ever had the kind of day where nothing seems to go right? You know the kind I’m talking about. You sleep through the alarm and everything heads downhill from there.
You squish the toothpaste tube a little too hard, and a big blob of Colgate lands on your pants. Your hair won’t behave. The kids won’t behave. You knock over your breakfast smoothie on the kitchen counter. Instead of starting your day on a high note, you’re hanging onto the lowest note out there by your fingernails.
Here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way. How do I know? Because Willie Nelson says so. That’s right. Willie Nelson.
Turns out, the infamous musician, writer and weed aficionado has it all figured out. According to a recent article in Rolling Stone magazine, (https://bit.ly/2DF8bfJ) Willie has a new favourite phrase that he’s turned into a new song: “Delete and Fast-Forward”.
He says, “When you put a negative thought into your mind and body, it literally poisons your system.” Think about it. Negativity isn’t just unpleasant. It’s poison.
What does his new song title mean? Forgive, forget and move on. Whether it’s a friend who’s done you wrong, a life situation that just doesn’t seem fair, or getting up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning. Stop your negativity in its tracks by saying “Delete and fast-forward”. Say it out loud. Say it. And then do it. Forgive, forget and move on.
You’ll be amazed at how much better your world will start to turn.
His name is known around the world: Thich Nhat Hanh. Even so, a lot of people ask me “Thich Nhat Who?” Long story short, he’s a Zen monk who was once nominated for the Nobel Prize by Martin Luther King Jr. for his non-violent protest of the Vietnam War, “Thay”, as his followers affectionately refer to him, is a fountain of spiritual wisdom… the common sense kind.
Imagine the turmoil the world was in during the conflict in Vietnam. Probably much the same as the turmoil the world is in right now. Humanity was hurting. Humanity continues to hurt today. But Thay was smart enough to know that we need to focus our energy on a different word that starts with “h”: helping.
Here’s a quote of his that helps me find my centre when the world goes topsy-turvy: “‘Someone asked me, ‘Aren’t you worried about the state of the world?’ I allowed myself to breathe, and then I said, ‘What is most important is not to allow your anxiety about what happens in the world to fill your heart. If your heart is filled with anxiety, you will get sick, and you will not be able to help.'”
According to TNH, four little words are the key to thriving in a world that sometimes seems to have lost its way. “How can I help?”
Are you up for an experiment? Try saying that powerful little phrase three times today and see how it makes you feel.
The world woke up this morning to the news that dozens of innocent people praying in their Mosques were slaughtered in the name of hate. Again.
We have a choice. We can focus our minds on what is and wallow in the pain of it all. Plenty of people have conditioned themselves to think that way, thanks to this crazy world we live in. But come on. Do you really want tointentionally feel bad?
Try this strategy on for size. Focus your mind on what feels good instead. How about the pursuit of peace, love, compassion and kindness?
Vibrate way up there and notice how different it feels. That’s where “beautiful” is. Ugliness and hate vibrate way down there — at the lowest frequency of all.
The higher you vibrate, the better you feel… the better the people and creatures around you feel… the better the planet feels. And what’s not to like about that?
Years ago, Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto conducted a series of experiments that saw him label jars of water with words like “love” and “hate”, freeze the water and examine the crystals under a microscope. You guessed it. The crystals that came from water labelled “love” were symmetrical and beautiful. The ones that came from water labelled “hate” were malformed and ugly.
So given the choice, which crystal would you rather be? Isn’t it a no brainer?
Be the beautiful crystal. See how it shines. See how good it feels. ❤️
If you’re anything like me, you look forward to the New Year. It’s a fresh start, a clean slate, a magical time that’s filled with anticipation about what lies ahead. The fun part is sweeping away the old energy and opening the door to what’s new.
One of the biggest favours you can do for yourself in January? Tidy your house. Yup. It’s that simple. Open your kitchen cupboards and drawers and tidy them up. Get rid of what no longer serves you. Focus on what does, and arrange it nicely and neatly so that you actually smile every time you look at it. Yes, you really can do this.
The joy that I get from living in a neat home has a spin-off benefit, too. Turns out, a tidy house makes for a tidy mind. I feel clarity, I feel lighter, I feel ready to focus on what matters – unencumbered by clutter and distractions. I feel free.
I learned all of this from Marie Kondo. She’s the Japanese phenomenon who wrote the book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”. https://amzn.to/2R9kaeg
In a nutshell, Kondo advises us to hold our possessions in our hand and ask the question “Does this spark joy?” If it does, we keep it. If it doesn’t, we thank it for its service in our lives and give it away to someone who needs it. In the end, we’re surrounded by only the things we love.
What more could you ask for in 2019? Clarity, focus, freedom and love.
Happy New Year to us!
Ready to spark some joy? Check out Marie Kondo’s new show on “Netflix”:
