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Being Intentional

“One’s destination is never a place,

but rather a new way of looking at things.”

Henry Miller

I notice that when I start to feel down about something, like maybe what is happening at my work where I am a high school vice-principal, I can increase my sense of happiness by consciously changing my perspective. I feel in a place of power and control when I say to myself, "I am making a choice to come to work today." When that happens, I

begin to detach from any feelings of despair, frustration, etc., and I find it easier to reach for better feeling thoughts like these ones, "What is this here to teach me? What life lesson am I learning? I see why I get paid good money to do this job. I must be a pretty special and fairly rare person to handle these sorts of demands that come at such a break-neck speed. I'm amazing! This work is going to teach me how to be in the present moment because when I leave here today, I need to be fully present in those non-work moments, so that I can truly receive a rejuvenating break from this job's demands. I know everything happens for a reason. I trust the universe is bringing me experiences for my greater good - for my soul's journey. I feel privileged to be given this position to help others. I do give my best, and I do it with care and integrity. And, it is okay, good, and ideal for me to look after my health at the same time." The "better feeling" thoughts a person reaches for are very unique to that person - they have to be thoughts that work for that person in terms of what actually feels better to them. The thoughts I just expressed here might sound ridiculous to someone else and even stressful to others. The point is that to create a more satisfying experience, I need to change my perspective, and I accomplish that by intentionally selecting better-feeling thoughts. Recently, I discovered a way to use social media to do just that.

When it comes to technology, you could accurately label me as a reluctant learner, but I have discovered a rewarding way to use technology to grow my wellness and inner peace! It all began when my cherished business advisor insisted that I get my small business, Expedition Inner Wisdom Inc. on Twitter. My children, seeing me on Twitter, strongly suggested that I also get on Instagram. I followed all of their advice. I began making relatively frequent posts on both of these forums. I started receiving likes and followers. I started checking out who some of these lovely folks might be, and in that process, I found wonderful people and groups to follow. My daily news fix became what this chosen, tailor-made-for-me group of people had to say each day. I started to really be inspired by many of their messages. I began using my phone’s camera to create a photo library of my favorite posts that they made.

I believe that the way we respond to life events determines our experience of them. I feel it is critical to be aware and conscious of my thoughts and, therefore, what I allow to circulate in my head, since these thoughts form my beliefs and shape my responses to life which in turn determines my experience. I noticed that my collection of posts from Twitter and Instagram often stretched, in a positive, fresh and inspiring way, my beliefs. I realized that this collection provided me with an abundant source of better-feeling thoughts. I had created a personalized affirmation library that I could conveniently access with a couple of clicks on my phone! It has made it handy for spontaneously sharing the inspirational messages in conversations with others too.

“Do the things you need to do to feel good, and consciously pick the thoughts that make you feel good,” is advice that has served me well. Perhaps you might resonate with the idea of creating your own customized, inspirational-sayings library with Instagram and Twitter posts like I did, or maybe being the unique, creative, and resourceful soul that you are, you have a hundred better ideas for you! Whatever you decide, I invite you to give yourself permission to take time for yourself each day - even if that is only an hour. In that hour, consider asking yourself what would be the most fun thing for you to do in that moment, and then do it! When you do it, be fully present. If thoughts of work or a "to do" list or a frustrating situation, etc. pop up in your head, don't judge that; perhaps say, "Ah-ha, I see you creeping into my me-time. Away you go. Float off like a cloud. I can catch up with you later, maybe." Then, bring your attention back to the present moment where you have created an hour (or whatever) to do what you feel is the most desirable thing for you right then. Being intentional about filling your mind with better-feeling thoughts and your days with good-feeling activities can pay off big time!

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