Recently, I was away for a little change of scenery. The trip was perfect! Nice weather, good company, excellent food and wine …. who could ask for more? So grateful for the chance to see and enjoy new things!
On the way, traffic was light, no major construction detours or delays but a sign in a construction are did catch my eye and stick with me.
The sign said, ” New traffic pattern; lane shift ahead”.
Resist the new shifts, the new patterns, and we all know what happens …. people resist merging til the last second and that creates traffic jams and delays. Sometimes it creates accidents. The new traffic patterns are supposed to make things flow more efficiently and it takes a little getting used to but eventually, the new pattern becomes a habit and we grow comfortable with the new.
How true is this in our own lives? My work as a whole, both massage and coaching, is really assitsing to create new patterns. If we are in an old pattern of dysfunction … something that may have served us well at one time, but is now outdated and needs reconstruction, we end up in the same place over and over. Creating new healthful patterns is work. It takes getting used to… may even cause a traffic jam of emotions or an accident but we do get used to it, and find that even that newness becomes routine.
I like that the sign gave a clear heads up about what to expect. Two parts… “new traffic pattern. Lane shift ahead”. Now, on the highway, we have no choice in the traffic pattern or the lane shift. However we DO have a choice in our lives. We can create the new pattern, but recognizing the patterns that are inefficient in our current situation and designing some lane shifts to allow an efficient flow.
Preaching to the choir, ladies. Believe me, i have my share of lanes to shift! and have been… I have been on a dedicated journey to self improvement… clearing blocks, removing inefficient patterns and simplifying … and you know what I find? I have so much more room for joy and gratitude!
In her book, “Daring Greatly”, Brene Brown shares that there seems to be a correlation between gratitude and happiness. That people who express more gratitude have a more abiding sense of joy than people who express less gratitude.
So the first new traffic pattern, the first lane shift is to consciously turn our attention to what we DO have. To be thankful for our health, our current body our relationships, this gratitude allows more room for joy, joy in turn allows for more gratitude and we develop a pattern of increasing joy and gratitude.
There is no upper limit … no ceiling to our gratitude except what we place there ourselves. SO …. new traffic pattern …. expressing gratitude. I would like to propose a three pronged approach to this building gratitude and joy campaign.
We need to acknowledge our own worth, our value to others, and the joy in the world around us. So my thought for developing a new pattern for the traffic of our thoughts is this: 3 things i am grateful for about ME…. physical, mental or emotional things I value in myself. such as: Strong legs to carry me to work, or on a walk to increase my health; dedication to my improvement; my yoga practice. OK there are three things I value about myself for my own benefit and self care. Now, three things that I value in myself that I share with others ( this is easier than finding value for self I think for most of us): Compassion; ability to listen; active deconstruction of any judgement i recognize. Lastly, this is the easiest I would think … three things i am grateful for in the world around me: my new move to downtown Mystic …. lovely and inspiring every day; sunshine!; the highway system, enabling us to get to places far and near with relative ease.
Gratitude as a lifestyle will cause new traffic patterns to emerge, the lanes will shift, and your joy levels will increase dramatically! Blessings this day, dear friends. May your day be filled with small moments of increased gratitude and recognized joys!
femmecoach 