I've stumbled across an emotional tool that I've grown to love. It's renewing on a scheduled basis. I've read about it in a few magazine articles, but never took the time to try it out. Once I did, it changed my life.
"We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Many psychiatrists believe that you need to find out what happened in your past to figure out the present. The method can help, but it can also damage the person's ability to forgive and forget. It has taken me years to forgive myself for the thousands of mistakes I've made. I was very tough on myself and felt that it was the only way I would learn not to make a mistake again.
The Internal Struggle
I used to struggle to wake up and see the enjoyment in the upcoming day or a task at my job. When my old habits of negativity arise I stop, let out my breath, and renew my thoughts. Now I visualize myself getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom with a smile on my face and then I physically make myself do it even when I don't want any part of smiling. The thoughts start to turn positive. They move toward the things that are easy to enjoy, such as the feel of the soft rug, then toward brushing my teeth. All of these enjoyable thoughts surface and feed off of each other, and before I know it I'm excited to be taking a shower or eating breakfast.
Schedule It
Renewing my life on a schedule has been easier than doing it on a moment to moment basis. I make sure that I do it first thing in the morning, once before lunch, and one time at bed. One day I hope to reach the level of working happy in every moment, but as of right now I have to work with what I've got.
What do you struggle to enjoy?
- A specific part of your job?
- A pain in the butt co-worker?
- Your commute to work?
Practice renewing your feelings by letting go of your dislike toward that annoying co-worker and stay in the moment. You'll notice things that make you feel happy instead of that co-worker that brings you down.
Karl, what you call renewal is what I call setting an intention for my day. Beginning the day in gratitude and intending to feel good about my work is so regular that it's almost automatic now.
I think I'll add in this thought of renewal, kind of like letting old brain cells die off to make room for the new. Thanks, Tom
Tom Volkar / Delightful Work's last blog post..Massive Inspired Action - a Recipe for Success
Hey Tom, I like your description of letting the old brain cells die off to make room for the new. It fits well with the idea. We need to make room for new feelings instead of holding on to the old ideas.