Happy Thoughts in Motion
There are a lot of buzz words that get thrown around in the quest for self-help and healing, but few that can help us go from inspiration to implementation.
I just want the pain to stop.
I just want this to be over.
I want to feel joy in my life again.
I want to feel alive.
But how do we get there?
We need more than happy thoughts, affirmations and feel-good memes. We need an action plan because happy thoughts are impotent without back-up.
Life has a way of waking us up by rattling our cages. It can come in a million shapes and sizes: a health scare, a financial hit, a heartbreak, a loss...a divorce, etc.
And when it does, we just want to stop hurting. But we don’t usually know how to do that, so we scramble for answers, information, opinions.
But quick fixes don’t create sustainable change. And let’s face it, when you are in pain — first you want the suffering to stop and second, you want to make sure you don’t find yourself here again.
BOOM!
We have the best of intentions, but there seems to be a cavern between the desire and execution. How do we get there?
It starts with telling a new story to yourself.
Sounds simple enough, right? Well, this is often where we fall off. It’s not enough to say, I want more money, I want more happiness, I want more connection with my kids. Dig a little deeper — tell me about this new story, this new you and all the details.
Close your eyes and imagine writing a BETTER ending in your head. Only when you can visualize this, can you formulate steps that move you in that direction.
This may feel uncomfortable at first. Don’t worry. Don’t judge yourself. You’ve likely been shoving your needs and desires to the bottom of the laundry basket for a long time. Let’s just consider flexing a new muscle.
Consider these prompts to journal or meditate on (or both):
What is the setting of your better story (the more detail the better), is anyone there with you, and what is the general tone or feeling?
Now write down 5 qualities that you would like to use to describe yourself as the leading lady in THAT story. Describe HER in as much detail as possible.
Consider how differently you might feel by simply telling your story from a new perspective?
This exercise is a gift to self that doesn’t cost anything, and it needn’t take a long time. But it can be a beautiful work in progress that you can come back to, edit, change your mind, and rework. Allow yourself to breathe in a new version of yourself, mama.
No matter how life feels in this moment, you can nurture yourself while shifting the narrative.
We can choose to look at challenges in front of us as nothing but obstacles, OR we can choose to look at the challenges as opportunities guiding us somewhere new. We can see roadblocks, or we can see launching pads. The choice is ours to make.
Bottom line: What if everything goes right?
How do we tell THAT story?
We start writing it.
And if you’re ready to have someone walk beside you as you craft your new story, yes, even in divorce...I’m just a phone call away! Paper, pen, fierce mama bear divorce coach accountability partner anyone?
Where have happy thoughts not served you because you lacked the action to support them? Where can you take action today? I’d love to hear in the comments below.