Hidden Treasures

I don’t know about your kids, but my kids love these digging treasure kits. As I was sitting there watching Ethan dig and sweep away fervently at his clay to find the treasure, it made me think about all of the daily treasures we rarely notice. I am so often SO in my head that I literally forget to look up and take in the world that is around me. For instance, I didn’t realize that my husband fixed the doors on the fridge until FIVE days after he fixed them. I go in the fridge at least twice per day…so that is just ridiculous and eye opening. Over the past few days, I have been paying more attention, walking with my head up, and slowing down enough to notice the world as I a moving with it (not through it…we are all part of the movement with the universe-that is one of my belief anyways).

I have also been practicing more self care. Recently, I have given myself permission to work from home one day per week, which is HUGE for two reasons….one, I feel horribly guilty when I am not physically at work (I realize that is just my concern that others will perceive me as a slacker, which I definitely know I am not), and two, my commute is typically 2 hours…one way. So…you may or may not be able to imagine the amount of things I was able to accomplish before 9am…it was freakin’ amazing. I actually amazed myself! The hidden treasure in self care…it helps me to be more effective with my time. It has also helped me in offering more daily gratitudes, as I recognize my life is abundant. Another gain that I was not expecting…(see next paragraph)

Since I have increased my self care, I have also been increased awareness and intention of being more kind and genuine with others…nothing huge…sometimes it is simply asking the school secretary how she is doing when I call the school, or laughing with someone at the grocery store over small talk, or leaving my phone in my purse and on silent when I am in a meeting, or sending simple messages to people I haven’t spoken to in a while to let them know I am thinking of them and how I am grateful for them…just simple, small stuff that actually makes a big difference. The hidden treasure in kindness…it makes me feel really amazing!

So, a few things about hidden treasures: 1. They are all around us every single day. 2. It takes some work to notice them. We have been trained to focus on tasks, multi-tasking, and being “efficient” with our time, which, to some executives, means multi-tasking (do they realize multi tasking is actually horribly inefficient??) Ok, off my soapbox… because of this horrible training of our brain, a simple task of ‘looking up and around us’ takes a lot of daily practice. 3. The daily practice and work of being open and aware of the daily treasures is absolutely worth it (and actually has been proven to increase moments of joy! YAY).

I challenge you to practice mindfulness every day. I challenge you to practice kindness every day. Do it for a week straight and let me know if you notice any changes. I can’t wait to hear back from you!

Well…what are you waiting for…don’t you want to increase your moments of joy?!

Love, LJ

P.S. Insight Timer is an AMAZING free app to help with mindfulness and meditation. It tries to coerce you into signing up for premium. Just start with the free app first. A little secret…when the screen comes up asking you to sign up for premium, just hit the symbol that looks like headphones and you will be all set to get your meditation on. Now go increase your daily joy!!