Sunday, February 17, 2013

Step One. An attitude recharge

In my experience, when it comes to being happy/having a positive attitude, losing weight, raising kids, and enjoying marriage, my state of mind plays the biggest role in how things are working out for me.  Let's start together with step one, a plan to recharge our attitude.  I watched a TED video on YouTube not too long ago,  http://tinyurl.com/772s6qw, I was inspired.  Shawn Achor shares how to have more positiveness in your personal and professional life.  Please take the time to listen, he's an entertaining and interesting speaker and gave me tools to recharge my attitude which I believe is the first step towards my goals - which are lofty and necessary and not unachievable!

Here is the last part of Shawn's talk in case you are pressed for time and can't watch the TED talk right now: In just a two-minute span of time done for 21 days in a row,we can actually rewire your brain, allowing your brain to actually work more optimistically and more successfully.We've done these things in research now in every single company that I've worked with, getting them to write down three new things that they're grateful for for 21 days in a row, three new things each day. And at the end of that,their brain starts to retain a pattern of scanning the world, not for the negative, but for the positive first.

Journaling about one positive experience you've had over the past 24 hours allows your brain to relive it. Exercise teaches your brain that your behavior matters.We find that meditation allows your brain to get over the cultural ADHD that we've been creating by trying to do multiple tasks at once and allows our brains to focus on the task at hand. And finally, random acts of kindness are conscious acts of kindness. We get people, when they open up their inbox, to write one positive email praising or thanking somebody in their social support network.

And by doing these activities and by training your brain just like we train our bodies,what we've found is we can reverse the formula for happiness and success,and in doing so, not only create ripples of positivity,but create a real revolution.

So starting tomorrow and for 21 days in a row, I will post my 3 daily gratitudes, journal a positive experience, and perform one random act of kindness.  I'll also post my exercise successes and attempts at meditation!  It sounds like a lot to add to my already crazy busy day. In reality, it shouldn't take more than an hour a day, if I include exercising - and I think it's worth it.  Join me by posting yours on my blog. 

If you are just discovering this blog, welcome and I hope that you too start the 21 day first steps with me.

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