The Happiness Project Experience - November
This month's topic was another one that I could never seem to remember, so I never had the help of my subconscious in figuring out what goals or resolutions I should set. So as I entered the last few days of October, my mind had to flurry to figure out what I could do surrounding the topic of awe.
While I could have just settled for looking at cute photos of puppies and babies (for the “awwww” factor), I decided that I should probably go a bit deeper. And so I settled on the following resolutions for my month of awe:
List 3 things I’m thankful for each day
Acknowledge other people’s feelings
Read Emotional Agility and Mindset
Go through the coach certification material for The Life Coach School
For the first goal, since this is the month of Thanksgiving - and the month of awe, coming up with things I’m grateful for seemed to be an appropriate resolution. This is something that I have been doing for a while, but not religiously. By setting this as one of my goals, I hoped that I would be able to cement it into a habit.
Sometimes I would share my “thankfulness things” with other people, and ask what they were grateful for. Other times I would just spend a couple of minutes thinking about it and coming up with a mental list. I always try to make it something specific, and try to avoid being thankful for “work, family, friends, and health.”
This is something that I really love to do and want to continue to cultivate in my life. I have also decided that I like making it a verbal practice and engaging other people. Often what they are thankful for reminds me of blessings I hadn’t even been thinking of!
As I continue this in the coming months, it is my goal to refine it even more.
The second goal, to acknowledge the reality of other people’s feelings, is a tough one for me. I have spent years internalizing the feelings of those around me. I’m finally getting to the point where I can release their feelings, without trying to change them, and change my own instead!
I’ve always felt tension when someone around me is feeling differently than me, but they are entitled to their feelings. Just as I am to mine. And it is my responsibility to control my feelings, not the ones of those around me - as hard as that is!
This is a hard goal to measure, but even just having it as an intention for this month has helped me to stay aware of it - and let myself feel my feelings, separate from those of the people around me!
Next, I read a couple of books that I thought would put me in awe of the capabilities of the human brain and make me more mindful. For the full review of the books I read for this month - check out the Books of November 2019 post (you can also find out my amended reading goal for 2019). Both of these books did impress on me a feeling of awe in varying ways. At times I was shocked at my own feelings - other times I was amazed by the emotional range and capacity of my fellow humans (and me!).
Finally, I read through all the material for my life coach certification program through The Life Coach School. For about the past year and a half, I have felt the pull towards coaching. After some research and lots of consideration, I decided that I wanted to enroll in The Life Coach School.
I figured I would probably enroll in a year or two, once I’d made enough money in my business to be able to pay for the training. But when I got the email about enrollment being open, I couldn't resist. I knew that if I put it off a bit longer, I would probably regret not challenging myself to make it happen now. Plus, who knows where I will be in a year or two! I motivated myself to make the rest of the money I need for the training and to prove to myself what is possible by signing up!
So here I am, studying and working and planning and getting ready to start in March. 2020 is going to be a crazy year, but I’m really excited.
So yes, I got through all of the material that I planned to. There are still some exercises I want to do and finish, but I have read through everything and have learned SO MUCH. I’m in awe of the knowledge I have gained, all that I still have to learn (and implement), and my personal courage in signing up even before I was 100% ready.
Since this is the month of thankfulness (and awe), I’m so glad I have had some time to reflect on all the amazing blessings in my life - both those I have and those that I know are coming.
Until next time,