Feb 03, 2020

Mindful Monday- We Dare You...

“Regardless of what you lose or the challenges you face, you will never lose your power to make decisions”

― Dr. Jacinta Mpalyenkana, Ph.D, MBA

It’s so easy to let a trail of negativity take hold in your mind. All it takes is one little thing to set you off in an unfavorable direction.

You get woken up before you wanted to
Your kid is in a funky mood
You’re out of coffee
Your favorite jeans are too tight to button
Your spouse is on your last nerve
You have a headache

It can seem hard to stop a downward spiral of thoughts once a seed is planted. Sometimes it even feels natural to continue thinking about whatever pushed your button. You feel offended, annoyed, disappointed, frustrated. It’s your right to take a ride on the grumpy train, right?

Yes, it is.

But, you also have a choice.

Thinking thoughts on purpose doesn’t mean you deny your feelings. It simply means you have a choice of how to respond to those feelings.

You’re very disappointed that you're out of coffee. Truth. But now what?

At this point you might notice the thought, “I told Frank we were out of coffee and he didn’t buy it.” That thought is quickly followed by, “He never listens to me.” Pretty soon you’re not only disappointed, but now you’re also angry at Frank.

What if instead, you become mindful? We dare you.

You realize you’re out of coffee, you feel disappointed and then you choose what’s next. Maybe you give yourself a big fat hug because disappointment sucks? Maybe, regardless of how bad thoughts of blame want to take hold, you realize they are an option but choose instead, to think about what’s good about the morning? You decide to think about what you’re grateful for?

It’s a beautiful day outside.
Your kids are healthy.
You have a job.
Someone loves you unconditionally
There’s hot chocolate in the cupboard and whipped cream in the fridge. YUM!

For every thought that creates less than good feelings, there are at least two others that feel wonderful! Just because it’s easy to fall into a habit of critical thinking, doesn't mean it's the only option.

Is it simple? Yes. Is it always easy? No.

That’s why we love the penny! Pennies are everywhere and we’ve made it our symbol to practice gratitude and mindfulness. We see a penny and we say, when I see this penny it reminds me that I’m grateful for.... With the penny’s help, we think better thoughts, we feel better inside and that creates a ripple effect out into the world around us.

Change your thoughts. Change the world...one penny at a time.

We dare you…