What's Good???
Good Morning!!! Tuesday Gratitude Practice is here!!! How will you take what you are grateful for through the rest of your day? This isn't just about writing it down and sending it back… put it out there! Let the world feel your appreciation! Let's make a difference.
This only takes a few moments to do but gives to you for much, much longer. So put down whatever you are doing and take a couple of minutes for yourself. Every Tuesday morning I am going to ask you to write down 5 things that you are grateful for and email them to me (keep for yourself as well). What are you feeling gratitude around? Here are mine for this week:
Heat. My Closet Full of Clothes. Epiphanies. Gum. Redecorating.
There are no right or wrong answers. It is about what you are grateful for. It is proven that doing this once a week makes you happier, healthier, exercise more and less sensitive to perceived slights. You will sweat the small stuff less and focus on what really matters.
So… what are you waiting for???
Food for thought:
Anger is powerful. Anger brings forth a fearlessness in a person. Anger gives a feeling of worthiness and deservedness. Anger is a truth showing emotion in many ways. In the basic sense anger is information like everything else in the world. You choose how you process it, but in it's natural form it just is. Many people believe that anger is inherently negative and that we need to do what we can to avoid it completely. We have placed it in the category of things that people-who-don't-have-their-shit-together feel; or people who haven't matured enough, or people who are just masking sadness, or blah blah blah. We do whatever we can to run away from it in so many ways. Then, we get into our cars and try to kill people on a regular basis because they made a wrong turn or weren't paying attention to their surroundings properly; or we find ourselves feeling deep sadness and not understanding why or what it is about. Our suppressed anger turns into road rage, depression, an overall numb feeling in our lives.
Anger is a spark, like joy, that activates everything else. It is a deep and intense feeling that tells you when a boundary has been crossed. Anger is a motivator for change. Anger is a sign that you are not happy with something, it gives you a chance to peer into your true feelings, judgments and expectations. To own being angry means you have to admit that you want; wanting means you will have to go after something and going after something means that there is a risk of not getting it (and a chance that you will). For many that risk is too much and so not wanting (which is a lie) is what they opt for instead. Because of this lie there is anger that is misplaced… not even acknowledged because it has no origin that the person feeling it understands since they denied wanting to begin with. When you accept that you deserve to want and are worth the risk of going after what you want you are open to feelings that will motivate and move you forward, anger is one of them.
When you deny your wants and preferences you essentially deny a huge part of being human and being a spirit. When you don't allow your anger to assist you in boundary development and maintenance depression can set in. Anger, when denied and turned inward, manifests as depression. The thing is anger in and of itself is not negative, how we respond to it, however, often is. Our denial and subsequent sadness or rage at seemingly benign things, is damaging and can have negative effects on ourselves and others. Acceptance of our feelings, all of our feelings, allows us to manage them and put them in the place where they will be of the most benefit. We all have anger, all of us. Just like any other emotion we have, anger is important and worth connecting with to understand when it comes up for us. The journey to each other begins with ourselves. You won't fully be able to connect, assist and help (yourself or others) if you deny hide or judge what is as what isn't supposed to be.
xo a