Happy Two-Two-Two-Two-Two-Twosday!
 
Today is a very special day with a once-in-a-lifetime date. How will you make it memorable?
 
Is there a habit that you’re ready to start? Or give up? Something (or someone) that you've been avoiding? Today can be the day you choose to begin changing things for the better.
 
Maybe today is the day you start to meditate. Or you return to meditation. Or write in a journal.
 
Maybe it’s the day you pick up the 500-pound phone and dial someone who your heart has been urging you to call. Maybe you make – or accept – an apology.
 
Maybe it’s the day you begin to ask for what you need – out loud. Or maybe it’s the day you begin to trust the voice that tells you to say, “No.”
 
Maybe it's the day you make an appointment with a doctor, a therapist, or a coach.
 
Maybe it’s the day that you reduce your social media time by 5 minutes, 15 minutes, an hour. Or you start learning French.
 
Maybe it’s the day you pick up “Anna Karenina” and begin to read. Or put down the book that you just can’t get into even though “everyone else” loves it.
 
Maybe it’s the day you ask your boss for a one-on-one so you can share your concerns about the team. Or so you can tell her how much you love working with her.
 
Maybe it’s the day you go for a walk, a run, a first-ever visit to a yoga studio. Maybe it’s the first day when you give yourself 15 (or 2) minutes to do absolutely nothing.
 
Maybe today is the day you start making a daily gratitude list. Maybe it’s the day you start looking yourself in the mirror and saying, “I love you more than I can say.” Maybe it’s the day you start giving free hugs.  
 
Here’s what I’m doing today: I am starting to trust more and worry less. I am releasing my belief that I am worth more when I do more. I am reaching out and breaking isolation. I am banishing multitasking. And I am making myself accountable by telling all of you. I know I may slide into the old habits again and again. But today I’ll make a start. And that’s worth celebrating.
 
2-22-22 can be the anniversary of a significant change in your life. What will it be? I’d love to know.

The other night I was moaning that I didn’t have a Sunday. Which is to say, that I didn’t get to do what I wanted to do on Sunday. I was so busy rushing around that I didn’t get to enjoy myself.
 
That’s the story I was telling myself, and I was sticking to it.
 
Then, the next morning, I remembered: Oh, yeah. I got to go to a wonderful yoga class on Sunday. And I got to have coffee with my radiant niece. I got to meet a nice dog and his owners at the grocery store. I got to have brunch with my husband and dinner with my parents. I got to talk to a dear friend on the phone. I got to immerse myself in a long, group meditation. And, by the way, I got to spend an hour at the beach.
 
There was a gap between my perception of the day and its reality. The story I was telling myself was based on faulty perception. It was coming from a negative mindset.

You know what was missing between reality and perception? Gratitude.
 
Gratitude has an alchemical power to turn any moment around. Instead of lamenting what I didn’t have (which, obviously, wasn’t much), I could have been celebrating what I did have. I missed some big chunks of an otherwise wonderful day because I was fretting and whining and generally distracted from the gifts and joy right in front of me.
 
One of my favorite gratitude hacks is to turn my thinking on its head.

Instead of telling myself, “I have to…,” I switch it up and say, “I get to…!”

Whether it’s meeting my sweet friend for a walk or making dinner or even doing my taxes, I can get the upper hand on my negative mind by reminding myself how truly abundant my life is right here, right now.
 
What helps you turn around your negative thoughts? I’d love to know!

​Let’s share what makes our lives brighter and more meaningful. After all, the way forward is through, and the way through is together.