I’ve been practising the skill of ‘reaching for a better thought’ – not that I believe I am overly negative. Not more than anyone else. My thoughts CAN get a little dramatic and sarcastic at times, but I think overall I am pretty positive and relaxed about what comes to me in my life … still I believe there is room for more positivity in all aspects of my life, and it is a wonderful skill to have.
Even when I am right in the middle of it I am reminding myself that NOTHING matters so much as my own balance and happiness … so taking a moment to reach for a thought to help me get there helps me address the situation with a bit more calm and a bit more positivity .. mostly.
It is like an on-going life-long meditation, I guess. In meditation when we feel ourselves becoming distracted we bring our focus back to our breath and dismiss anything that is not helpful to restoring our balance. I think I’ll be struggling with that one for many many years to come … but I also do not believe I have to meditate to practise this skill. Let’s face it, with a newborn, a three year old and a six year old, finding time for meditation rarely happens.
So when I”m feeling a little out of balance now I reach for any thought that makes me smile … the more unrelated the better. This image here is a useful one to bring to my mind when my kids are a bit wound up:
or this one:
But I have to say this little girl takes reaching for a better thought to a whole new level, and mostly it is Jessica who does it for me!
lavendilly 