Reading Time: 2 minutesAppreciation and gratitude. Hallmarks of being present. They almost go hand in hand. You really can’t have appreciation and gratitude without it. And you probably can’t be present without having appreciation and gratitude.
And you know the saying “fake it til you make it?” I often think of that as just a fancy way of saying “practice.” Practice could be thought of as a way of faking something. You focus on the thing, even though you can’t currently do it, and you do it as if you could. You give yourself over to it.
So, as a practice of being present, we’re going to practice some appreciation and gratitude, known in this context as positivity. It’s a practice in finding your way to what you are really grateful for. And just like a ninety-mile an hour fastball starts out as a lob at home plate, finding these things might be slow and awkward at first.
On the other hand, you may have already practiced some and find it pretty smooth. Who knows, maybe you’re just a prodigy and it’ll come flying right out! Either way, you want to come at these things from all angles. Being present may give you appreciation and gratitude, and pulling appreciation and gratitude towards you is a practice in being present. So, without further ado…
This Week: Keep a Positivity Journal
Every day of the week, you will write, in your REFLECTION, three positive things – things you’re grateful for, things you appreciate, or just things you notice.
- Give yourself a “yes” in the Lifestyle category on the SAME DAY you write the reflection
- The 3 things must be written in your reflection to get credit for the Lifestyle practice
- They can be in any form you want – even just a list if you like
Photo Credit: “Journal Entry” by Joel Montes de Oca – Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
He graduated from UCLA with a BA in philosophy as well as a degree from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, and feels food is one of the most important parts of a life - it can nourish, heal, and bring people together.
Michael believes health and well-being are as much a state of mind as they are a state of the body, and when it comes to fitness, food, and life in general, he thinks slow is much better than fast (most of the time). Stopping regularly to examine things is the surest way to put down roots and grow.
He knows he will never be done with his own work, and believes the best thing you can do for your well-being starts with loving and working from what you’ve got right now.
