Copyrighted by Lorna Tedder. Originally published in Love in the Third Degree.
It’s the end of Winter. At least, according to the calendar. Spring is a mere month away, so I offer you a challenge.
Pick one thing, maybe two, that you could do to make your life better in the next 30 days. Something small, if you’d like. Notice that I didn’t say something that would make your life better but rather, something you could do to make your life better.
Sure, winning the lottery might make your life better or having the cavalry rescue you from your dreary job might be wonderful, but let’s stick to small things that you can do.
Maybe it’s drinking more water. Maybe it’s cutting your smokes by half. Maybe it’s walking an extra 30 minutes a day. Maybe it’s taking off your makeup every night instead of falling asleep in it. Maybe it’s not jumping in to fix everyone else’s problems. Maybe it’s giving your significant other a hug first thing in the morning and the last thing in the evening. Maybe it’s not answering the phone during dinner. Maybe it’s not kicking yourself for mistakes. Maybe it’s not playing that cruel game of what-if or if-only that you play every day.
Whatever it is, decide now and keep it in mind for the next month. Just until Spring hits the calendar. Look for ways to make it happen. Think about it every day. Act on possibilities that come to you. After all, it’s a small thing and Spring’s not so far away.
When you think about it over the next month, think about the benefits, about how it will make your life better. Clearer skin? Fewer expenses? A little bit healthier body? A little more peace of mind?
The other part of this challenge is to think of three things that are going well for you right now. It’s so easy to focus on what you don’t have or what’s gone wrong in your life, but think of what’s going well. Some people consider this as reaching a state of gratitude, but it’s really an assessment of the good stuff instead of the constant assessment of the bad stuff that stays in our face most of the time.
If you’re looking for a change in your life and you’re up for a challenge, then you’ve already figured out that you’re not totally happy with where you are. Okay, great. It’s true for most people in one way or another. Let’s consider it done, as far as addressing the negatives and their existence. Let’s, for this moment, look only at the positives. That won’t make you a Pollyanna because you’ve already hit the negatives and now hitting the positives will bring you some balance. So consider 3 different assets, traits, joys, good things that you already have. Make a list!
Come Spring, in a month, will you have one or two more good things for your list?
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