8 Principles for Living Each Day with More Contentment and Happiness-Pt 2

by Brook Noel

Part Two of Two
Missed the first part? Click here…

MTM Life Principle 5 ~ Enhance Your Immediate World: Whenever you leave the house—or come into contact with another person ask yourself: What can I do to make a positive difference?

My mom raised me with very few rules in our single parent home. However, one rule she ingrained (and boy did she ingrain it, LOL) was: Leave everything you touch better than when you came into contact with it.

Now, she didn’t mean be a perfectionist.  What she meant was, within reason, to leave our special touch. Unfortunately, we live in a world where many people walk around and wonder… “What’s in this for me?” Today’s high-expectation world is much different than the world of our great grandparents! When we begin looking for opportunities to give back in the littlest ways, we start a ripple effect.

Kindness is contagious–like the “smile syndrome.” Have you ever noticed what happens when someone smiles at you? You smile back! This starts a chain. If everyone who read this today smiled at everyone they met (stranger or friends), can you imagine the smiles that would spread in a single day?

We can make the days a bit better through very simple actions. When you check out at the grocery store, instead of digging through your purse or checking your missed calls, why not sincerely engage the cashier? Whenever you pay for something, why not place the money in the person’s hand and look them in the eye and smile? When a person is grumpy… why not treat them even better? Resist the temptation to spread the negativity–it’s too contagious to let into your life.

MTM Life Principle 6: Do a Nightly “Make Today Matter” check. When you are done with the day… BEFORE climbing into bed, ask yourself– What is one more thing I can do to make today matter?

I started doing this after I lost my brother suddenly. I realized how magical each day was. Instead of putting something off for tomorrow, I embraced one last thing each day.

Some days, I would get online and find a site to email a solider. This only took 3-4 minutes. Sometimes I would just get something ready for the next day. Sometimes I would make a quick call or jot a quick note. I took one last moment to appreciate and live that day before climbing into bed!

MTM Life Principle 7: At Night.. Let it All Go!
While you are preparing for bed, think of all the things that happened that were stressful during the day. They have something to teach you– even if you don’t know what it is– thank them, then LET THEM GO! (Thanking them doesn’t mean you like them… and letting go doesn’t mean you are happy about them.) Take any upsets and do the same.

Then take all the good things and wonderful things, be thankful for them, write them in your gratitude journal, and then let them go, too! It is VERY important to appreciate, remember, but let go. This allows us to focus fresh each day.

There is a quote, “Never let yesterday use up too much of today.” We don’t live in the past. When we accept and appreciate each day for everything it is or isn’t… and then let it go, we clear ourselves to live fully the next day.

MTM Life Principle 8 – End as You Began
Once you are in bed, imagine yourself waking, saying your affirmation, identifying your intention for the day, moving smoothly throughout the day–feeling confident, feeling beautiful and strong. Imagine yourself handling what needs to be handled, reacting in appropriate ways, handling any stressors with calm assurance. Imagine yourself achieving your goals, interacting with others with happiness and grace.

Studies have shown time and time again that those who visualize the day ahead have a MUCH HIGHER success ration of achieving what they see.

All-in-All:
Living the life we want, living in contentment and happiness begins in our mind, and then in our choices. Each day we can choose auto-pilot or we can choose to enrich our lives. We don’t remember days, we remember moments. This Make Today Matter formula helps to turn off autopilot and plant seeds for wonder-filled moments.

Your Weekly Challenge: Try adding 1 of these simple routines to your day each week. Once you have one down, return to the list and add another.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*