Checking In With Yourself
Hey family, it's check in time! We're coming to the end of the second month of 2018 already (By the way, Happy Black History Month Kings and Queens-Wakanda Forever!). It's time to recall and reconnect. If you're like me, you made some mental notes of what you wanted to either improve on or accomplish throughout the year. Although we all have specific aspirations and goals in stride towards different things we want and love, there's one thing I think we should all have on our lists--the pursuit of happiness.
Personally, I'm happier than I've ever been! We've all heard it before, "happiness is an inside job" and it absolutely is. It comes from actively and consciously choosing to be happy. It's about being in love with the person within that has been through everything and back but is still standing to laugh and talk about it today. It's about not allowing imperfect people, materialistic objects, or comparing your situations with others' to affect your happiness. It's about doing something you love every single day. And when you find your happiness, holding on to it. But just like anything you're chasing in life, happiness takes work and tending to. Here are some things I do on the daily to protect my happy that I think you might benefit from:
-Wake up every morning and write down your daily goals and three things that you're wildly grateful for
-Avoid any screen or social media time for the first hour of being awake
-Yoga (to maintain discipline, to have some still, you-time, and to check in with your physical and mental self)
-Spend at least one hour of the day on your future-doing something that gets you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.
-Whenever a negative thought comes into mind, counteract it with a thought of something or someone you love (it's literally fighting darkness with light)
The truth is, nothing in life goes as planned and it's rarely ever a straight path to get from point a to point b, so we have to stop expecting it to be. We have to stay flexible, reposition, and remain open for growth and to receive the lessons that life has to give. We have to enjoy going with the flow, appreciate all that we have, and allow everything to be as it is. We've gotta trust and have faith that in hindsight, everything will make sense. The dots will connect, they always do. The proof is you making it from what happened yesterday, last week, last month, a year ago. Here is to the jobs that have told me no in the past, the casting director who said I wasn't right for the part, the guy who just couldn't figure out what he wanted, the friend who showed her true colors, and the other doors that were closed in my face. Every thing has worked out just as it should have. So my challenge to you guys, is to find your happy and hold on to it. It takes practice, but we're gonna do it together. Since the new year started, have you been holding yourself accountable for your happiness? Ask yourself, what did you do for yourself today that makes you happy (big or small)? You have everything within you to withstand whatever you're going through, acknowledge it and be grateful for it. Get in the right mindset, take those New Year resolutions out and dust them off. Check in and see how much progress you've made and what you still need to work on. Be proactive and take charge. Love yourself as you are.
Sending Light & Love,
Lori
