I’m happier when I take a few moments to focus on what’s good.
For the last few years I have been taking a moment to focus on something really small and really good every day. Yesterday this photo was taken during one of these moments.
It’s more than just gratitude. Acknowledging the good stuff, however minor, and being thankful is an energy changer. A mindset shifter.
In 2012 hubby and I decided it made sense for me to leave Corporate HR and Training communications behind. It was the right decision but the shift in routine and a series of illnesses threw me for a loop. Anything like that ever happen to you? I was accustomed to feeling great and serving others and feeling relatively happy, then suddenly it was all gone. Even though I was busy concentrating on getting well, it was almost unbearable. I had to think of something. Scaling back from trying to find my perfect life and instead working to embrace the present was a much better choice.
A little later I started keeping a list of 5 things each day that I loved or experienced or appreciated or enjoyed. The rule I set was I couldn’t make the list in advance (I cheated a few times) and I would take 1 minute to just reflect on each of the 5 things. Guess what? It was magical.
I put the list on my original blog with the goal of recording 3000 positive memories and experiences. I invited others to participate. It was beautiful how a few moments spent mining for gratefulness changed me and those around me. That’s why I always hashtag “focus and take time”.
Daily we simply cannot “overcome” all the difficult people and encounters or inner feelings we meet. But we can use the law of substitution to shrink the present negative circumstances. Just by creating this simple practice and teaching others how to do it got my is shift in gear. 5 little thoughts are amazing when you want to quickly move the energy in an otherwise negative room. Or yourself.
Mining yesterday was easy. I took off my consultant hat and put down the laptop and toured a historic factory in upstate New York with my family. I found so many but here are just 5:
Construction workers waving hello
Huge red-orange Flowers
Meeting Matilde from France 
Groundhogs in the garden
Ice cream sandwiches by the fire truck
Try this. Focus and take time. Challenge your employees and teams and kids and spouse and self. Who knows what might make tomorrow’s list?
We pass treasures every single day. Be determined to see them.
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As a small biz owner, are you reluctant to tell your brand story on livestream? Are you gripped with uncertainty at the suggestion of using IGTV, YouTube or creating edited video? Do you get sweaty palmed when you think about scripting daily social media posts, your next blog, or your “about me” page or bio? No need. Helping you lose the negativity while finding your voice is what I do best. Get on my calendar for a free 20-minute catalyst session. Together we can do this.
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Strange question indeed. But everyday we encounter people that need a hankie. The back of their hand. The crook of their arm. A napkin. A tissue. A turn of the head. Anything to assist them from coughing all over you. You know what I’m saying! You’ve been the victim probably in the last few hours of someone coughing in your direction, not turning their head, ignoring the sputum that is dropping everywhere!
If you are constantly bombarded with the negative drama of others, their sad stories, their woe-is-me existence, or their tales of victimization you will eventually catch the Common Cough. So take a break. It’s easy to see who these folks are in your life; when you see their name on your phone or email, a little sigh escapes your lips. That “sigh” is your sign! Give yourself permission to limit time with this individual. Sometimes you know how much you immunity can take, and other times you don’t know until you get home and you are coughing too! So instead of that, make a decision to honor your boundaries. You deserve to be in the best health possible. (In another blog or video I will jump into what happens when the cough resides in the house with you! Stayed Tuned!!)
Not exactly. If you want to have the most positive experience possible, there has to be a fair amount of “benefit of the doubt”. Everyone deserves that. In practical terms this means you might have infrequent but kind communications with this person. Especially in the workplace or in closer relationships. Would it really hurt to acknowledge this person, perhaps offering them a listening ear every now and again? Could you offer them a hankie? Perhaps having a good word for them? Even though it may not seem to make a dent, it will make a difference. If not for them, it will for you. If will create an ease based on putting someone else first, even just for a little while.
To help protect yourself from catching the cough, simply clean up! Don’t leave the negativity to fester in your mind. Replace it with positive recordings. Read books that build. Post affirmations in your surroundings. Use uplifting music to tune it out. Light a candle. Burn some incense. Spritz essential oils. Journal. All of these are like disinfectants for the mind. Protect yourself and prevent the spread of negative energy!
What is UP for you? For me UP is Unapologetic and Positive. Does it seem like you have fallen and can’t get UP? 
Princess of Positivity - Chatone Morrison 