Since a while now, I’ve known that not everything was right with me. Somewhere along the way life dragged me down. I lost myself. Lost my zest for life. My days became practical, mechanical. The only thing I looked forward to was the weekend – Saturday, when I would meet up with friends and we’d go out about town and Sunday, when me and the husband would do things together. The rest of the time, I was on automatic pilot.
All that changed this week.
A fun interaction with a very close friend on Facebook turned into a more serious talk. She told me she had started avoiding meeting me because I had become too “practical”, had lost the magic that was me.
That one comment forced me to think – something that I had avoided doing even though I knew that things weren’t right. We inbox-ed one another furiously, and as she asked me questions that forced me to think, it made me want to cry – for all the time I had lost, for all that I wouldn’t acknowledge even to myself, for losing the magic.
She’s one friend with whom I can be 100% myself. She’s my mirror. So when she tells me something, I stop to listen and think. And I knew she was right.
We went out that night, and she turned the spotlight on me. Asking about my life (going on), what I feel (nothing much), how I feel about life (that it’s happening on auto-pilot).
Then she made me do something. She made me tell her 10 things I was grateful for and why. And as I spoke about my blessings, I felt a shift inside me. Slowly, the ice around my heart began to crack. As the night wore on and the conversation flowed, the crack spread and eventually began to chip off.
I feel much more positive already. More cheerful. More hopeful. And it was all due to that exercise, which I’ve been doing everyday since.
Try it.
I am grateful for ______ because ______. (x 10)
Nothing is too trivial to list out. If you think it is, imagine your life without it. Awesome perspective, eh?
Bonus tip: make a list of everything you love – and I mean everything. People, places, food, restaurants, movies, books, activities, plants, flowers, animals…you get the drift. Any time you feel negative (sad, angry, irritated) think of this list. It will lift you up immediately!
Here’s to a wonderful life!
What are you grateful for? If you’ve already experienced the power of gratitude, tell us about it in the comments!
I can absolutely relate to what you wrote – I feel the same way. Or rather, I’ve realized that I’m an observer, and not a participant in my life. At the end of 2011 I decided that 2012 was going to be the year of change and I decided to work with my yoga teacher – he is now my mentor. Sometimes you need someone who can be completely objective to help you see the light. We’re in month 3 – I’ll let you know how it unfolds but so far so good!
As for writing down what you are grateful for, I do that randomly 🙂 I think it’s a great idea to create a vision board – it helps you focus on your goals and eventually leads to some excitement when you reach them! Now, I need to get on that =-D
I’m glad things are unfolding well for you with your mentor, Ann! 🙂 And yes, vision boards are a very good way to focus on your goals – especially since its a visual reminder of what you’re aiming for.
It sounds like you have a pretty amazing friend for being that open and honest with you, and not only that, she helped you through it by asking questions you needed to answer!
I hope this is a start in you finding your magic again =)
I hope so too!! 🙂
What a great friend and what great advice! I am glad you are feeling more like you!
Yup, she is a pretty special friend, and I’m so lucky to have her! 🙂
Great post! Life is beautiful. It is hard not to get down about certain things but that’s no reason to lose our zest and not think about all the good things in our life. Btw, I liked you on FB 🙂
Thanks Krystle! 🙂
I will simply say this… you are a beautiful strong woman. I am grateful that you are my friend 🙂