Valentines Day can conjure shame and embarrassment if you are single (single by choice aside) and performance pressure if you are not: which elaborate restaurant and gift? Singles and couples can find themselves in a quandary to fulfill an over-commercialized day of love and romance. To remedy this, I suggest celebrating Valentines a different way. I invite you to fall in love with your day today, your career and life. How might you ask? Start with a Beginner’s Eye; this term is used in Mindfulness circles and means to look at things as a beginner, for the first time. Take time to notice things in your daily routine you have overlooked in the past. As you walk or drive to or from work, open yourself up to really paying attention to the details. Notice how the sun hits the trees, how the snow or sand sparkles in the light. What colours do you see? Take it in and delight your sense of sight. Engage your other senses as well. We often box people or things in, we make pre or post judgments and that is where it stands, a fixed judgment or perception. Let today be the day where you are open and experience it all with a beginner’s eye. See the new and change in what you perceive to be the old. Be curious and explore your day as you would a new lover. Fall in love with it all over again. Secondly, take time to reflect what is going right and well in your day and life. It is difficult to appreciate and be thankful for what is going right when we are caught up in the whirlwind of tasks and demands. Similar to taking a partner for granted because they love you, and they are there, we often take things in our life for granted as if we are entitled to it. If this is you, I suggest you create some time to reflect. What are your successes? What is going well? Write them down if you want to and start a habit of appreciation. Really feel what you are about to write. I do this daily and it has made a world of difference for me. I love my life and it seems to love me back. ☺ This said reflection can bring up what is not going well too so this is where you look at the things you love but want to improve or don’t and want to improve and better it, the last tip to fall and stay in love with your day. What do I mean by bettering it? See the things in your day that could use a minor tweak or adjustment and better it. For instance, I had a client who was sensitive to his physical environment at work and could not figure out how to improve the situation until we brainstormed different strategies. We talked about relocation and other ideas but then he came up with using a ball cap to cover his eyes from the artificial light at work, something he was bothered by but could not fully "put his finger on" until we explored it. Whether it is your physical or mental environment, what things can you do to better it? Is it putting flowers on your desk or putting a picture on your office wall? Or is it saying no to something due to an already “full plate?” However you do it I hope it feels better and is more satisfying. By applying a Beginner’s Eye, reflecting on what is going right and bettering whatever isn’t, you can enjoy and love your day today. If you do this then you do not need a partner to fulfill your day, you have already done so. Everything else would be a bonus.
Have a lovely Valentines day.
Best,
Ps. If you have "lost that loving' feelin'" with your career, sign up for a complimentary Get Acquainted Call to see if I can help.