Running a clutter-free, efficient household requires energy and a consistent desire to follow some kind of simple plan. A plan that directs your days and establishes a routine and habits that serve you, not drag you down. But it’s very hard to follow any plan if you’re down in the dumps. So if you want to stay on top of things, being happy is crucial.
What if you had a meter that measured whether you were flying high or sinking into despair? You really do. It’s just invisible to the eye, but you can always stop and “check in.”
For an example, where would you rate yourself right now. Are you more happy than sad? Are you more anxious than content? Are you more angry than loving?
There’s really little guesswork in knowing how you feel, because you’re wired to know in any given moment. Unfortunately it’s so easy to ignore the signals. We can get so busy we neglect taking time to check in with what’s going on inside.
Establishing a habit of checking in with yourself is such a powerful tool. Take a few minutes daily to be still. You can learn so much from your body. It’s constantly telling you what you need and what is or is not working. But if you don’t listen, if you don’t pause to hear those messages, you’ll be missing out on the most valuable information you’ll ever receive.
If you think you’re going to have a stressful day, checking in with yourself on the hour could really change how your day goes. It helps to talk to yourself and comment on the moods you catch yourself in. Often, I’ll say, “Well aren’t you a happy girl!” Or, “Hey little one, what’s wrong? What’s up with the sadness?”
You have the power to be mindful of how happy and content you are and when you feel yourself going down, there are four things to ask yourself before you head for the tavern, the chips, the candy or the pill bottle:
Usually one of those four elements will affect your energy. When those four elements are taken care of, it’s much easier to be happy (which is what you were born to be). But there’s one more element that’s guaranteed to send you into joy— music. Get your tunes on! Sing! Dance! Run! Music is the number one non-drug solution to lifting your spirit.
Have you noticed that when you’re happy, you have more energy? And when you have more energy you have more desire to get and stay organized? You also have more delegating power. Which scene do you think would work best in getting someone to fold a load of laundry?
Scene one: Wife is fresh from her shower, dressed in clean, cute, well-fitting clothes, hair is combed, make-up on and she smells like her favorite flower. In a sweet, whispery voice she leans into her husband and says, “Love, please fold this load of laundry while I fix your breakfast.”
Scene two: Wife is wearing pajamas she’s been in for two days, her hair is stringy and greasy, she has make-up on but it’s from what she put on for a meeting she went to night before last and she looks more beat up than made up. She whines from across the room to her husband, “Help me! I can’t do EVERYTHING!”
Gratitude is the best chemical substance
When I think about the successful happy people I know personally, one of the attributes they seem to have in common is gratefulness. Because of technology, we now know how thought changes the chemicals in our body. I imagine gratitude neutralizing all my negative thoughts and letting endorphins come in like a crew of UPS drivers with loads of joy and goodness to deliver throughout my system.
Gratitude cleans up your attitude like Windex cleans a dirty window. Being grateful trumps everything, even music. If you really want to start your day with a bang, here’s a fabulous guided visualization that’ll set a grateful tone for the whold day and set you back on your path to order. http://www.thisepiclife.com/
Love,
P.S. When I write a blog, my intention is to have my reader reading along; enjoying her morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea and reading a line that tickles her and spitting whatever substance that’s in her mouth all over her cell phone. Then while she’s wiping up her mess, realizing she’s learned something practical to use in her daily life. If you’d like to be perked up regularly, please sign up for my blog. Thank you! Oh and please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
P.S. again! If you’re on the path to order, remember the only thing you need is direction. The Sidetracked Home Executive 3x5 index card system gives you direction in baby steps.