List-Maker, List-Maker, Make me a List!

I'm all about lists.  To-do lists, to-don't lists, lists of restaurants to try, places I want to visit, names for my future children, books I want to read, our weekly meal plan is a list, grocery list, beauty products to try, my 2012 resolutions and personal commandments....you get the point.  My mind just works best when I can see what I have to do written down in front of me.  And I really enjoy being able to physically cross items off of my lists once I have accomplished them.

Flipping through the weekly advertisements that stores mail out this time of year, it seems like everybody is trying to get organized.  I suppose after the holidays, many people resolve to clean out their closets, throw things away, donate old toys to make room for the new, and stores encourage it by marking down prices on their cleaning and organizing supplies.

I am going through a similar process of purging and organizing, only mine is more mental rather than physical.  The first part of it was writing down my list of 2012 Resolutions and Personal Commandments to guide my quest for self-actualization in the new year.  It felt so great to write it all down and see the items listed out, one by one, none more important than the others.

The second component to my mental and emotional re-organization is to GET RID of the old:  old verbal scripts, old behaviors, old negative thought-processes that were weighing me down.  I feel that letting go of this extra baggage frees up the mind to accept healthy, new ways of thinking, to allow positive emotions into the empty space and to see what could-be, rather than dwell on what was.

One tactic I am using in order to fill my mind with positive thoughts is to (you guessed it!) make a list.  This time, my list is filled with things that I am grateful for.  Coincidentally, being more grateful is one of my Personal Commandments that I believe will allow me to guide my thinking to a happier, more positive state of being.

Are there things in my life that are negative?  Things that I wish I could change?  Absolutely (I could make a really long list of those too, but I won't!).  I am trying to focus on the positives because I think that keeping these good things in the forefront of my mind will bring me gratefulness and set me up for positive thinking, which will allow more good energy to flow my way.

Some of the things I'm grateful for are silly, some are serious.  Many are generic (family, friends, health) while some are specific to me.  All of them have value to me, and to give credit to each wonderful thing in my life, each one has a special place and belongs on this list, no matter how silly/superficial/unimportant they may seem to others.

Some of the things I am grateful for today, in no particular order:

- Florida's warm, sunny weather in January
- I have no major illness or injuries (this annoying cold, not withstanding)
- I have a wonderful, handsome, smart and supportive husband who encourages me to explore and pursue my passions
- I have the best sisters and parents in the world, and a loving extended family
- I have a number of loyal and true friends who care for me
- my sweet lap-dog Hudson who always lets me know I am loved
- I can afford to eat and enjoy healthful, whole foods and these foods are readily available to me
- my charming little green, 1940's bungalow and the Great Oak tree in the front yard
- I have every material possession I "need" and many things I "want"
- I can walk 5 minutes down the street to at least 5 great restaurants and numerous shops
- Kleenex with Aloe, chicken soup, Honey-Lemon flavor Cold-Eeze and Orange-flavor Emergen-C to beat my cold
- the Chris Brown Pandora radio station on my iPhone
- Grandma's tin of christmas cookies in my freezer and a hot mug of Adagio Chestnut tea

chestnut tea, christmas cookies

get-well card from Brian, kleenex, homeopathic cold remedies

I hope you make a list of all the positives in your life.  Like I said, it's not denial of the negatives in your life, just making yourself more aware of all the good things.  Feel free to update your list frequently with new things that come into mind.  Also, read and review your list on a daily basis to stay mindful of the things you are grateful for.  Try it, especially if you're feeling a little down or experiencing a case of the post-holiday winter-blues.  I can almost guarantee that just writing down your list of things you are grateful for will boost your energy (and mood!) quicker than your afternoon cup of coffee.  


Question of the Day

What things in your life (big or small) are you grateful for?