Today's post expands on yesterday's: The Journal Story - The Four Prompts: Thankful/Grateful, Desires of your heart, A childhood memory, State of heart.
Recently I've developed a new Daily Practice to help me focus on a daily topic each day. I may not get everything out on my digital paper, but it does give me the pleasure to search deeper within and take a bite out of the day and enjoy every morsel of the learning journey even more. It's inspired me to pause and tap into the creative flow of writing and allow it to brim.
Grab a fresh cup of coffee or tea and bring it along as you read this post. May it give you wisdom-oxygen to guide you along your daily path and be an encouragement to you.
Daily Practice - Something to focus on each day
Motivation Monday - Jump start the focus for the week. A personal goal, activity, a word, positive affirmation, scripture, song, etc. Today is your reset button for the week! You got this. Monday gets a bad rap. Manic Monday, stressful Monday, I hate Monday, etc. Think of Monday as the first step to a new fresh week ahead. It’s going to be what you make of it. Granted, sometimes Monday’s get off to a rough start. If it does, refocus and find the good in the day and get your thoughts back on the track of what your focus is.
Thoughtful Tuesday - Changing the thought process or vocabulary - replacing negative to positive. ie: Change the word discipline in your vocabulary to a more life giving word to inspire and encourage you. The word discipline can seem daunting and shameful. "If you’re not disciplined you fail yourself." That’s pretty depressing! Look back on your life when that word has come up. To me it’s a word that has restrictions, constraints, and shame. We beat ourselves up over and over with a whip to our backside. Not good enough, failure, weak, etc. Instead look up the word (whatever the word is you want to change) and find an alternative. For the word discipline change it to teaching or exercise. This is helpful knowing the vocabulary in your relationships that are triggers or unhealthy. Knowing the words that hurt are like a sword that pierce the heart every time they are used. Choose to take those words out of your vocabulary and never use them again. Your partner or children will be grateful and so will you. The heart will heal and will be stronger because you took the time to acknowledge and humbly act to do the right thing. Sarcasm is a hurtful weapon. It belittles and makes one feel less than. Using the words, “just kidding” or "I'm teasing" is hurtful as well. These are protective and power-control tactics that are damaging to the heart and soul. Seek to give light and love. Talk to your partner or loved one how you want to be talked to. Listen to your partner or loved one how you want to be listened to. Be the best version of yourself. Your actions reflect on everyone and everything around you. Choose your words wisely and lean into learning what humility and grace really is. Thoughtful Tuesday a day to reflect and think outside the box.
Wonderful Wednesday - Finding Joy or delight in the moment. Going along the same lines as gratitude. Wednesday is the middle of the week. It's a hump day. The top of the hill and the rest of the week slides right on down the other side of it. It’s a good day to revel in the goodness around you. You may have to get out of the house, go for a walk at work, stop and enjoy the view, buy a cup of coffee for someone, listen to a child giggle, visit a pet store, read a book to a child or elder person, sit at the dinner table and take in your Clan/Tribe, touch your partner or loved ones hand and be grateful they are with you, enjoy that decadent dessert, or lovely dinner, etc. There are many things. Sometimes the noise of life prevents us from finding the joy and delight in the moments. Turn up the volume in your ears, polish the lenses of your eyes, breathe deeply in and out and listen to your breath and heart beat, discover nature and the beauty around you, and give from your heart. Be in the moment.
Throw Down Thursday - Unpacking whatever you need to unpack. Unpacking = leaving it at the curb - letting it go and moving forward. This is an ongoing process. We are always unpacking and processing. I think this is a daily practice that we’d rather skip and move on to Friday. However, we must unpack our crap to move forward in life. If we continue to carry it - it will weigh us down and we will ultimately stumble, fall, and find ourselves on our faces wondering how we got there. Doesn’t it feel good to get home from a long trip and unpack your suitcase and get settled back into home? If you leave your suitcase on the floor or bed with the zipper open and all the clothes and such lying about, it starts to annoy you and the one you live with (speaking from my own experience). Once it's tended to and put away, you feel better right? Keep that image in your mind as you unpack whatever you need to unpack. Could be small or could be big. Could be a conversation you need to have with a friend that has left you unsettled. Sometimes this takes time. Time to gather your words carefully and wisely and to speak calmly. Throwing down doesn’t mean slamming the person out of spite. It means this is something you are wrestling with and need to let go of. Throw down can mean forgiving the person because they don’t know what they are doing. Throw down can mean having deep discussions with a professional counselor. Throw down can mean writing a letter and burning it up. Ultimately, it's releasing something that has been weighing you down and preventing you from moving forward in life. Imagine a huge helium balloon with a long string being unraveled from the stone it’s been wrapped around. It's released. You watch it float away - free from that weight. The symbol of letting go. Yes, this may sound easier said than done. First start off with something that small. Once you’ve taken that step, the next steps of releasing become a little easier each time. The real practice is following through. Do it for your mind, heart, and body. From this space you will start to see things in a different light. A better perspective on life and the things that used to weigh you down. You will gain wisdom and insight. You will be able encourage another human out there in the world because you’ve learned to let go.
Focus Friday- Focus on what has been floating to the top during this week - Friendship, forgiveness, future, finding an outlet or project. I like to think of Friday as the cream of the week. It’s the day we strive for because the weekend is finally here. Friday we celebrate - the finish line. TGIF or FriYAY! So with that, what has your mind kept coming back to. Do you need to call someone? Do you need to forgive? Do you need to move more? How about a walk, ride a bike, or run? Need to find a creative craft or carve out time to read and reflect? Want to bake, cook, fish, paint, golf, or kayak? Are your actions getting you closer to your future goal? What are those goals? These are not things that should pour shame over you. It's actually, what in your soul, keeps floating to the top.
Sharing Saturday - Sharing space, walks, hikes, conversation. Get out! If you are an introvert or extrovert we all need to get out of ourselves. Sharing space - fills our souls. Be it a coffee, lunch, dinner, walk, hike, or watching a show. We need each other. As an extrovert who thrives on the energy of others - I’ve tapped into my introvert over the last year due to Covid-19. I can relate to my introverted friends more now than I ever have before. There is quiet and peace in the introvert. Finding the quiet to energize them to gear up for the extrovert energy. Being an extrovert - quiet is hard. The extrovert wants to fill the space with words, exuberant giddy and expressive life. While the introvert looks at the extrovert with utter awe. “How and where do they get that energy?” To be honest. I don’t know. The extrovert looks at the introvert with a sort of sadness. “Don’t they know how to have fun? Man, what a hard read? What are they thinking?” Sometimes, I think I know what they are thinking. LOL! Learn to love our introvert and extrovert friends - remember they each have a gift. They have been uniquely made. We can gain much from learning from them. Take time to share that space. We need each other. We need community. We thrive on connection. If we have no connection we wither away like a dried leaf on a fall day. Extrovert friends, reach out to your introverts and likewise, introverts reach out to your extroverts. We are yin and yang. Where one is weak the other is strong and visa versa. Embrace and find the balance.
Serenity Sunday - Find what serenity means to you each week - Reflect, open, peace, light.
When creating this daily practice for the week I thought Sunday should be a Solitude Sunday. But after diving into the definition the word Solitude means alone, withdrawal, isolation, loneliness, and remote to name a few. There is a time for that. However, that’s not what I was digging into. Serenity is more of a feeling. Tapping into what Serenity feels like. The definition of serenity is "a state of being calm, peaceful and untroubled. Achieving this positive state of mind means you won't feel as troubled by life's ups and downs. While addiction often brings chaos, a loss of control and emotional turmoil, serenity will help you stay calm and true to yourself." So embrace yourself in peace and calmness to wrap up your week. What a beautiful way to care for yourself mind, heart, and body. Reflect back on your week and see what you accomplished. Good on you! Now, turn the page to a new week with gratitude. Begin again. Integrity is being the same person wherever you are with honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, keeping promises, and helping others. Breathe in and breathe out. Have a great week ahead friends!
I hope this brings some encouragement to you today.
Whatever day of the week it is, make it a great one!
Much love,
Bridged
