Congratulations you made it through another year! It was a challenging year for many of us in different ways. My guess is that you, just like me, know of someone who did not make it through this past year. That alone gives us something to be extremely grateful for, the fact that we are still here. I am inviting you to take this moment…yes, this moment, right now. Take 3 minutes – 3 full minutes and write down everything good that you experienced last year, including the good things that came out of the bad things. Let this be the beginning of being able to look for and identify the gift in everything. Everything that we experience, whether we label it as good or bad, has a gift that comes with it. It can be challenging to see the gift at times, however, this simple practice of consciously taking the time to identify your blessings will change your life. I promise you that. So, stop reading now, grab your journal and start listing the good things that you experienced last year.
Kudos to you if you stopped to do it! If you did, it’s highly likely that you needed more than 3 minutes after you got into it. No worries, you can always go back and continue. The reason this exercise is so important is that part of Awesome Aging is having a new perspective on your life and how you are living. Don’t forget that we are living much longer, healthier lives. There are many factors that can contribute to that. A big one is your Mindset. Are you putting your attention on what isn’t working and how frustrating it is? Or are you looking at what you can do to make it work for you? It’s your choice. You have the power to make this your best year yet!
Start consciously looking at how you think about everything. When you wake up are you thinking of the good that can happen today, or are you thinking of the bad things that you are expecting to happen? If you are expecting unpleasant things to happen, you have the power to change the course of your day by claiming the good that you want to experience. A positive Mindset can be a huge contributor to your Awesome Aging.
I recommend creating a daily ritual that you can perform every day as a commitment to yourself. You have committed to others for most of your life. It may have been to your family, parents, lover, friends, employer, or to just pleasing other people. It’s time to make a commitment to yourself. A great way to do that is by creating a ritual that you can perform without fail every morning. This is a perfect opportunity to examine how you are thinking about doing this activity. Are you thinking of it as a task that you have to find time to fit into your busy schedule? Or are you welcoming it as a gift you can give yourself? Check your Mindset and if you are thinking of this as a task, you can change your point of view to seeing it as the gift it is.
You can create a daily ritual for yourself by selecting 3 activities that you will perform daily for 21 days. It only takes 21 days to create a habit. If you choose 3 activities that you will feel good about completing daily, by the end of the 3 weeks, it will be hard not to do them. Here are some examples of things you can choose as your daily ritual: exercise, meditation, journal, read something inspirational, pray, yoga, stretch, visualization, drink 10 ounces of warm water upon waking, take a walk, affirmations, list 3 things you are grateful for, end your shower with at least 30 seconds of cold water. Decide on how much time you are willing to give to your morning rituals 15, 30, or 60 minutes. Make sure you can commit to this so that you are being accountable to the most important person in your life – YOU! If you can’t decide on your ritual, you can follow Hal Elrod’s book, The Miracle Morning.
I encourage you to make yourself a priority this year. One way to do that is to keep the promises you make to yourself. Honor yourself. Commit to yourself. This can be the beginning of your Awesome Aging and your Awesome Year!
Now I’m going to ask you to do something for me. I would like you to share with me your 3 rituals. Don’t worry this will not be shared in the group because you will simply reply to me personally. You can just hit reply and send me your 3 activities. It can’t be much easier than that. On the other hand, feel free to elaborate on any thoughts or experiences you have that are related. Your feedback is of great value to me and helps me to help others.
Alright, let’s start this year off with a bang!