The Spring daffodils have arrived and are my favorite of all flowers. They represent a precious memory of my grandmother, Anna Louisa Walpole Jenkins. “Lou”, as we grandchildren affectionately called her, would sit on the old Charleston Green swing and gently sway back and forth as she watched her grandchildren pick daffodils in her front yard. I can close my eyes and still hear the sound of the chains on the swing creak with every movement. Lou loved watching us pick her flowers. This simple event gave my grandmother great joy.
In my book, Rhinestones on My Flip-Flops, I wrote a story about my sweet daughter Caroline, when she was a little girl. Always tender Caroline sensed I was having a bad day. She had been watching the movie, Peter Pan. Suddenly her big brown eyes widened and she said excitedly, “Oh, Momma! Tink Happy Toughts! Then you will fly!” Happy thoughts were her cure for me to change my attitude.
There is power in good things says author and speaker, Shawn Achor.
“When you write down a list of “three good things,” that actually happened, your brain will be forced to scan the last 24 hours for potential positives—things that brought small or large laughs, benefits of accomplishments at work, a strengthened connection with family, a glimmer of hope for the future.” Shawn Achor, The Happiness Advantage.
This advice is so simple that it may not seem real. But this technique has been studied for over a decade and validates how our brains are wired.
Zig Zeigler believed that we all need to be a good finder. Philip Harrelson in studying Proverbs 23:7 concludes that “our thinking has the capacity to either crown us or cripple us.”
I appreciate Gandhi’s famous quote: “Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.”
So, what are you thinking? Find three good things to celebrate and just like those daffodils, watch your life bloom into best ever version of yourself.
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