Who Lights You Up? ☀️
Happy Fearless Friday, Friends!
The secret to creating change in our lives? Paying attention - to what is working and what isn’t and why. Without reflection, there’s no way to make plans that actually serve our needs.
So, over the coming weeks, I’ll share with you what we’re learning from our survey along with prompts for your reflection and experimentation.
Side note: I love that the survey is truly “ours” 🧬 since all of the insights come from our collective feedback and perspectives!
As you know, our survey (please take it if you haven’t and share with others if you have) asked people to rank the frequency with which they take part in certain behaviors and how much those behaviors impact their overall life satisfaction. One behavior stood far above the others: enjoying time spent with family members or friends.
And it’s not surprising. Having spent her career studying the human brain, neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett concluded that who we spend time with is the number one determinant of our overall health and happiness.
The people around us have a massive impact on how we think, feel and act. Some lift us up, others bring us down.
Of course, not all time spent with family members and friends makes our days better. And, even if we are fortunate enough to have a circle of loved ones that lights us up, our busy lives may have gotten in the way of us building in time for those interactions.
So, what if we use this as inspiration to take a close look at our own lives today and see what we learn?
Start by intentionally carving out a little time for yourself to reflect in whatever way works for you, whether it’s pulling up a seat on your stoop to stare in the distance, digging out a journal or calling a friend.
Then, maybe ask yourself some of these questions
1. What was the last interaction with another person that I really enjoyed and felt energized by?
2. What made that moment feel so special? How did that time impact me?
3. How could my life benefit from a bit more of that goodness?
4. What opportunities do I have to experiment with designing that into my schedule in the coming week?
Shoot me a note and let me know what you find. I can’t wait to hear what you discover and share more insights and reflections!
Aransas
If you have kids in your life that would benefit from some calming mindfulness techniques (and couldn’t we all) please check out my podcasts and e-books for kids ages 3 to 8 on the Encantos App. Thanks to a generous donor, the entire app is free!
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