Weekly Challenge: How To Live Each Day with Contentment – Part 2

8 Principles for Living Each Day with More Contentment and
Happiness! 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 engrained (and boy did she engrain it LOL)
was: Leave everything touch you 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.


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