This morning I am going to blog about a realization…This morning when I was going through my Cheerful Acceptance process I came across the “thing I want to be different tomorrow” (Step 3). I realize this morning that when it comes to the “how are you” or “how is ________ (Stephanie, Vienna, etc…)” questions…I tend to be a fatalist. I almost instinctively focus on the negative. I have noticed more recently as we work through Stephanie’s recovery from her concussion, that whenever I am asked how she is doing, I almost always focus my comments about how slow the recovery is going…not how well the recovery is going. And it is going well, she is making a lot of great progress. She is one of the strongest people I know and I know that she will beat this! But I digress… Thinking this morning about my response to the “Stephanie” question encouraged me to dig deeper and get the bigger picture about this response. I thought, if I had recorded every interpersonal interaction I have had in the past 6 months, and then analyzed it as a neutral observer, what would I find? Or more to the point, if someone who didn’t know me, were to only get to know me based on the responses I give to the question, “How are you today?” what kind of person would they think me to be? I am pretty sure I already know the answer to both of these questions as I have made this realization of my strengths and weaknesses. I have so many blessings in my life, what happened in my programming that shifted the conversation to the things that are not going so well? It might be interesting to analyze this and find out some sort of root cause, but of what importance is the history lesson? I believe it is far more important to make positive change for the future!
So here is the Cheerful Acceptance process applied to my current narrative.
Step 1 – Today I am going to be cheerful about the opportunity to make this day better than everyone that came before it. I am committed to gaining a deeper understanding of myself as well as to using that understanding to move forward in my life.
Step 2 – Among the many strengths and weaknesses I have, I acknowledge that I tend to focus on the negative and that does not make me a bad person…it is simply a part of my current programming.
Step 3 – I have decided that I desire to change my programming about how I react to the “How is your day?” conversation starter. Tomorrow, I would like to be able to look back at all the interactions I have today and recognize them as more focused on the positive aspects of my life.
Step 4 – I am going to start by re-framing every conversation I have today. I am gong to a festival for school today and I will encounter many of my colleagues…many of whom I haven’t seen in 6 months. I am going to focus on my blessings and use that to carry the conversation.
That is how the Cheerful Acceptance process is applied to a REAL life situation. I did not make the preceding scenario up just to have something to blog about this morning. Tomorrow I will blog about how today worked and what the next step will be after that.
What is your Step 3 and 4 for today? How are you going to “change your programming?” what will you need to do to accomplish that goal?
Have a GREAT day!
Cheerful Acceptance 