"Small Changes Ripple Outward"

On Facebook I came across a talk given by Shawn Anchor entitled "The happy secret to better work". It was an entertaining talk, then near the end something he said really stuck out at me. He said, "If we can find a way of becoming positive in the present, then our brains work even more successfully. We are able to work harder, faster, and more intelligently."  He then said that "there are ways to train your brain to become more positive. In just a two minute span of time, done for 21 days in a row, we can rewire your brain, allowing it to work more optimistically and successfully."

The five things to do everyday, for 21 days, are:
1. 3 Gratitudes - think of 3 things you are grateful for and write them down. (New ones every day)
2. Journaling- write down one positive event that happened within the last 24 hours.
3. Exercise
4. Meditation
5. Random Acts of Kindness - anything from helping someone, or e-mailing someone you care about.

Now, in general I am not a super negative person. But, lately I've been having a hard time with feeling a lot of anger and frustration, even though I know that I have blessings coming out of my ears. It has made parenting especially hard, because my children are in a phase right now where they need a lot of extra care emotionally and a lot of help with their schoolwork. I am worn out! Staying positive has been a real struggle. So, this talk has inspired me to try doing these 5 things everyday and see what happens!  And, what better day to start than the first day of the month?!

So, in conclusion, happiness = awesomeness. Want to become (more) awesome with me?