I will greet this day with love in my heart.
Today’s post takes its title from a chapter in a book called The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino. I read it when I was a teenager and implemented quite a lot of its advice in my life, and it made some difficult times a bit easier for me. The premise of the book is that the greatest salesman in the world is operating using advice found in a series of scrolls, and this particular advice comes from “the scroll marked two.”
When I look at the text now, it still inspires me, even though the manner in which it is written is decidedly a bit “much” for me at this point in life. Sort of like the Desiderata. On a cynical day, they both seem a bit . . . much, in how they present their information, but they are well-meaning and full of goodness, so I choose to overlook it.
One of the pieces of advice in “the scroll marked two” is to greet everyone you meet with love. You do this by saying (inside your head, not out loud) “I love you”. And even though the words aren’t said out loud, it will communicate itself through your eyes and manner, and help to soften other people. It is decidedly difficult to do consistently, and especially when faced with someone you really can’t stand, but it’s worth a try, yes?
One of the ways I greet each day with love is by engaging in a daily gratitude practice. What that looks like for me is that I open my designated notebook and write ten things I’m grateful for, and why I’m grateful for them. In the past, I’ve done it by listing as few as three things, and not bothered to say why, but I find this practice deepens things and makes me appreciate them more fully.
Some ways you can incorporate a gratitude practice in your life:
Start a gratitude journal. Write 1 thing, or 3, or 5, or 10 that you are grateful for.
Think through or say aloud three things that have brought you joy today before bed.
Review your day to think of all the good things in your life before you fall asleep.
Feel your way into it still more by thinking through how those things make you feel, or why you are grateful for them.
Remember to be grateful for your own traits and attributes. Your heart, your courage, your mind, your strength, your sense of humor, etc.
Today is Super Tuesday
If you live in one of the 14 states voting today, GET OUT & VOTE!
If you are a US citizen who lives in one of these 14 states, I hope you will do your civic duty and vote: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia. American Samoa votes today, as well.
Yesterday was literally the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. (Ratification occurred in August of 1920). My grandmothers were both born before that date, so it seriously hasn’t been that long that women have had the right and ability to legally vote in the United States. Please don’t take it for granted.
The Declutter Course started this week, and registration is now closed. I thought I’d offer you a peek into what we are doing this week. This week’s focus is on mental and physical prep for the active decluttering process, and we’ve already had our Facebook Live for this week to coach group members.
With spring cleaning around the corner for most people, here are two tips for those of you who aren’t in the course:
Set a policy or mantra for yourself before you get started. Make it something with meaning for you, your guiding light throughout the process. It could be as simple as “keep those things that bring you joy” or “get rid of things that don’t fit, are broken, or no longer work for me.” Have that policy and write it down so you have it to guide you as you make all those decluttering decisions.
Stay consistent by doing a bit each day. Maybe 15-20 minutes each day, so that you don’t overdo things and burn out.
