Stop and center: How to bring yourself back to balance.

If you are anything like me, early morning my spirit is light, and I am motivated to stay zen throughout the day. Then the day begins. My house key gets stuck in the lock, only one elevator, out of four is working, traffic is a cluster, you know what, and the list goes on. Hmm, the zen state went out the window! I am worried about deadlines, I am angry at the driver who cut me off, I say the wrong thing during an interaction, and then burn precious neurons trying to backpaddle my uncalled comment. Urgh, what can we do to come back to center and balance?

Think about this, life is too dynamic and unpredictable. The expectation of maintaining our balance and a zen state of calmness regardless of obstacles we face is unrealistic. Nonetheless, it is possible to develop self-awareness, be able to freeze the outside world and hit the reset button. Get ready to set goals:

Goal # 1 -- Slow down:

It is a must. Pick one activity in the morning such as brushing your teeth, showering, applying your makeup, shaving, or drinking your cup of coffee. Whatever it is, turn it down a notch. This will set your brain in tune with the intention to control the only person you can control; yourself.

Goal # 2 -- Smile:

Do not underestimate the power of a smile. A smile can melt away negative energy. How many times are we ready to snap at someone, and the person gives us a sincere smile that changes the course of the interaction. Simply put, smiles are free. Give them away and lift the bad energy that maybe lingering around distracting you from your zen state of calmness.

Goal # 3 -- Stop:

Connect to your inner-self as many times as possible. That can take a minute and it does not have to be an elaborate ritual. When we have the habit of making several conscious stops throughout the day, we have a good chance to catch ourselves before we lose it.

Goal # 4 -- Move on:

When we screw up, there is no use to rehash the event repeatedly. What is in the past, should stay in the past. It is water under the bridge at this point.

Putting it all together. This is how our day should roll. Think about goal # 1, slow down. Utilize goal # 2; the power of smiles. Apply goal # 3, when applicable; stop, breathe, regroup and top it off with goal # 4; move on.

It is possible to change our direction when we start with the only person we can control: ourselves!

As Oprah Winfrey once said, “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude”.

PS: Sign Up with Mon Espace+ (Home Page) and check my page under the category Self-help - Your Upward Journey: It's easier than you think!

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1 comment

Janet in KS Nov 27, 2023 at 09:18

Sound counsel and great plan for today- thank you for posting this!

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