“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius
Recently, Noah shared his One Word with you: Process. Today, after much deliberating, I have chosen mine: BREATHE. Here’s why my One Word will work for me, and why you should get crackin’ on finding yours.
1.) I need to slow down. We all do. We get so wrapped up in our affairs that we rarely take time to simply reflect upon what around us is good. Step back, slow down, BREATHE. Enjoy who and what you have.
2.) At various times in my life, I have dealt with anxiety issues. I am prone to panic and stressing over inconsequential things. If you’ve done any reading on stress and anxiety management, you know that breathing is a huge part of controlling your emotions. It’s science, homie. Step back, slow down, BREATHE.
3.) I often react to people or situations before taking the time to analyze what’s going on in front of me. I get my feelings hurt easily. I get angry easily, though not often outwardly. I tend to jump to conclusions before I gather facts. Sound familiar? If so…step back, slow down, BREATHE.
4.) My son is two and a half years old. He’s like a wild animal right now. His range of emotions is great, his energy knows absolutely no bounds, and his ability to test boundaries is astronomical. Conversely, my emotions lately have ranged from frustrated to more frustrated, I have little to no energy, and I am still trying to match my boundaries with his. As I deal with him as a dad, as he continues to grow and explore, I need to remind myself that he’s two years old. There are so many things that are new to him, even daily. He’s trying to find his way. My job is to guide him. So, when he decides to do an Eddie Guerrero “Frog Splash” off of his dresser onto his bed…step back, slow down, BREATHE…and hope he hasn’t decapitated himself.
This New Year’s Eve I wrote this blog post discussing resolutions, and offered some tips to make your resolutions worthwhile. These tips centered on making others a priority. One Word is for you. Its purpose could be to serve others, but the word starts with you. Noah actually shared this concept with me last year. I kicked around a word or two, but I didn’t follow through. I won’t make that same mistake in 2014. Neither should you.
As has been the case in other posts and challenges, this particular process requires reflection and introspection. It requires that you ask of yourself what you want to be, how you want to get better, and where you want to go in your relationships, in your spirituality, and in your own positive mind.
Take the time to find your One Word. Feel free to share it with us and those close to you. Thanks to Noah for sharing. Thanks to Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page for the inspiration.
Have an awesome Tuesday,
-A.
short-hOPTIMISM 