Arminda Lindsay

Being On Purpose

Creating Positive – Day 2 of 21

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I am well underway with my commitment to creating more positivity. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I carried my journal everywhere I went today, so I could make an immediate written record of the things for which I am grateful. That left nothing up to speculation at the end of a long day.

Christie also reminded me that in addition to keeping a record of three new things for which I am grateful each day, and sharing one positive experience I’ve had in the last 24 hours, I also need to meditate, exercise, and commit a conscious act of kindness. My biggest challenge in that list is the meditation. What tips can someone share with me on how to more effectively meditate? My mind just wants to wander, and I have a hard time sitting still for too long, or I fall asleep (just being honest). I have only two switches: On and Off.

Gratitudes

  1. Electronic flowers from my daughter
  2. Synergistic networking meeting with Leigh Anne
  3. Connecting with real people through Twitter
  4. Hot tea on a cold day
  5. Lunch with Karen
  6. Chocolate-covered strawberries (somehow this made the list twice!)
  7. Oxi Clean (that’s a whole other blog post)
  8. Valentine delivery with a hug from Clark

Positive Experience

Life can be too busy a lot of the time. I suppose I am to blame for that, but when I focus on scaling back, sadly, there always seems to be something else filling the welcome void. Because of this, spending time with those whom I love sometimes feels like my last priority, when I want it to be my first. Just as I finished my great meeting with Leigh Anne, I received a text message from Karen to see if I wanted to meet for lunch. Of course!

Every single time I am with Karen, I come away feeling like the king of the world. During our lunchtime conversation this afternoon I remembered all over again how fortunate and blessed is my life for having Karen in it.

I love our friendship and the numerous ways it continues to enrich my whole world.

Dopamine Challenge

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I’m really into happiness. But before I talk more about that, I need for you to do me a favor, and watch this twelve and a half minute TED Talk by Shawn Achor. Once you finish, I’ll discuss dopamine with you.

Amazing, right? I can’t stop thinking about this talk, and its broader implications for me, and for anyone else who cares to join me. Here’s what Shawn said:

It’s not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens, not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time.

 

Shawn suggested the only way to “change the lens” is by reversing this formula: If I work harder, I’ll be more successful, and if I’m more successful, then I’ll be happier. We need to stop placing our happiness just out of reach.

So how do we permanently raise the positive in our lives? By becoming positive in the present! Shawn recommends the following:

  1. Identify 3 New Gratitudes daily to scan the world for positive, and not negative.
  2. Journal daily about one positive experience you’ve had in the past 24 hours.
  3. Regular exercise teaches your brain that your behavior matters.
  4. Meditation allows us to get over the “cultural ADHD” we’ve been creating by trying to do multiple tasks at once, and by focusing on the task at hand.
  5. Deliberately perform Random or Conscious Acts of Kindness once a day.

Our brains are 31% more productive at positive, than they are at neutral or negative! To create this kind of lasting positive change in our lives, we need to flood our systems with dopamine, which is a natural compound that acts as a neurotransmitter, and when we are positive, dopamine floods our system, generating two reactions:

  1. We are happier
  2. All the learning centers in our brains are ignited, allowing us to adapt to the world differently

Shawn suggests that these retraining exercises, particularly the first two, take just minutes a day, and he says we must be consistent for 21 consecutive days in order for our behaviors to change long-term. So, who’s with me?

My commitment is to start today, and to share my daily journal with each of you for 21 days, in the hopes that you will share your daily journal with me – right here on the website. Let’s create a community of positivity! Who’s with me?

allarminda.com | 2024