What happens when you accept the things you CAN change
I have an alarm on my phone that, when it goes off, tells me to “Breathe in the beauty and magic of a new day☀️🌈🤗”.
But how do you do that when you wake up not feeling very magical OR excited about the day ahead?
Last week I was in hustle and grind mode and I have to admit, it felt great to get so many long-standing tasks crossed off my to do list.
But as I started planning this week, I noticed a sense of discontent at the idea of waking up every day to another week like that. While the crossing off the list felt great, I spent most of my week feeling frazzled, overwhelmed and the opposite of present.
While I grappled with how to continue to make meaningful progress AND feel more peaceful and present through the process, it hit me…
The more I was focused on improving things, the more dissatisfied I felt with the way things currently are.
I’d look around my apartment and see all the things that need replacing or reorganizing.
I’d think about my business and immediately start trying to problem solve the systems that aren’t working.
Even when I would accomplish a task and make progress, I was very aware of the distance between where I am and where I hope to be.
Individually, none of those things were a big deal. Looked at holistically, they were starting to make my life feel like one very messy, unfinished project.
Which makes sense.
Our brains take in FAR more information than we can consciously pay attention to. So whatever we focus on, think about and consider important helps determine what gets filtered in and noticed.
Aka, where our attention goes, energy flows.
It made me realize I’d been putting SO much attention into doing all the things that would support future me that I was ignoring the needs of present me.
So this week I made a choice to start looking for the things I was already enjoying. To give some attention to what felt good about my life exactly as it currently is.
The October sunshine reflecting on the changing leaves.
The clean laundry washed and delivered by my local laundromat.
Waking up in the coziness of my bed to the scent of crisp fall air through the open window.
Because I was actively changing what I was giving my attention to, I assumed I would feel an increased sense of gratitude as I moved through the week.
But here’s what I didn’t expect.
I didn’t expect to feel so much more peaceful and content.
I didn’t expect to sleep noticeably better, and stop having such intense and stressful dreams.
I didn’t expect to experience less overwhelm AND an innate sense of trust and belief that everything will unfold just fine.
Have you ever had that happen? Nothing externally has changed, but suddenly everything feels different simply because you chose to change your attention or view the situation in a different way?
As we shift into this weekend, where do you want to choose to focus on the beauty or magic in your days?
