“Fear in America”—mixed media • layered digital image—2018
Lisa Lillibridge
Dear 2018,
I’m going to work on my judgement and I would really appreciate your support. My stated goal for the new year is to practice some radical acceptance of myself and others. I heard this term somewhere recently and it really resonated for me.
acceptance defined: the act of accepting something or someone
It’s actually pretty simple according to Merriam Webster…simple in definition only. Not in practice. It will require training, diligence and literally biting my tongue sometimes…and I will fail often and try again.
Is acceptance the polar opposite of judgement?
Don’t we all want the same things—to be loved, feel safe and possess some sense of belonging in this crazy world. The world seems to be crying out for more connection, not more judgement.
I’ve noticed that my curiosity can smooth the jagged edges of my judgement. When I get curious about people, ideas, choices, places, well…everything, I’m far less likely to judge, because I jazzed about my new knowledge. Dear 2018, please help me remember to utilize the power of my curiosity. MORE CURIOSITY = LESS JUDGEMENT
Here’s to 2018 & whatever you choose to do with it…it’s none of my business.
Graffiti never fails to inspire me artistically. I’m now thinking about the empty walls of my garage…so many possibilities.
Today I closed the door for the last time on my much-loved studio of 15+ years. It’s empty. My work is now in storage. This is the end of one era and the start of another.
I keep thinking about something my husband, Jeff told me a few years ago.
I was reminded this morning of how I can be an ALL or NOTHING sort of person in my proclamations. I LOVE CHANGE. I love change so much more than the rest of my family and it drives them totally bonkers. EXAMPLE: If I could flip the rooms where the kitchen and the living room are I would do that. I have to satisfy that part of my nature somehow and it’s abundantly clear that I must largely do it on my own. No public proclamations…or at least a helluva lot fewer of them.
I can be a little unrealistic: I WILL NO LONGER eat potato chips, drink beer, read news, use FACEBOOK, watch TV, eat meat or sugar, drive when I can walk, be critical of my kids or my husband, spend money on X…blah, blah, blah.
Thankfully, over the course of the positive psychology program I took through the Wholebeing Institute. I was taught something quite valuable and rather easy to incorporate into my daily life. The simple trick of five percent.
I will try to exercise 5% more. I will try to spend 5% less. I will try to eat 5% less sugar. I will try to watch 5% less TV. I will try to eat 5% fewer potato chips. I will try to drink 5% less. (NOTE: I’ve discovered a great trick. My beers are now 1/2 club soda and 1/2 beer. Bartenders aren’t crazy about this order. Who cares? It’s half the calories, half the alcohol and it’s much better for staying hydrated.)
SO, the next time you notice something you would like to improve in your life— think about a relatively painless 5% shift and just do it.
This might be all you need to get started on a desired new path.
Good luck! Let me know what works for you.
When I read through these traits I was struck by a few things.
1. I’m so grateful to know that a fixed mindset doesn’t have to remain FIXED. Think about it? FIXED means unchangeable. WHO POSSIBLY WANTS TO HAVE A BRAIN THAT IS UNCHANGEABLE?
2. I get really tired of people throwing up their hands and saying, “that’s just the way I am, the way I learn, talk and so on…so get used to it”. No. I won’t, because it’s untrue. However, this statement is—we have to believe that change is possible or real growth is way less likely to occur.
Neuroplasticity allows our brains to create new pathways by doing things differently. It isn’t simple, I understand. However, the good news is that meaningful change in our lives is BOTH very difficult AND very possible. One of the growth mindset traits: sees effort as necessary.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NEUROPLASTICITY
It’s so necessary to feed our brains novel experiences, thoughts and ideas for growth and it sure makes life a helluva lot more interesting. Don’t you think?
Try something new today. Your brain will thank you.
I’m studying positive psychology with Tal Ben-Shahar through Kripalu and the Wholebeing Institute. If I hold one thought in my head to make my life better it’s Tal’s quote, “When we appreciate the good, the good appreciates”.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESS “A profound shift in attitudes is underway all over the world. People are now recognizing that ‘progress’ should be about increasing human happiness and wellbeing, not just growing the economy.
March 20 has been established as the annual International Day of Happiness and all 193 United Nations member states have adopted a resolution calling for happiness to be given greater priority.”
http://www.dayofhappiness.net/#join
When my children were little I answered to WHY all the time and considered it part of our daily/hourly experience. Why is the sky blue? Why do we brush our teeth? Why does that man smell weird? Why can’t I wear just a tutu? Why can’t I watch that scary movie? Why are you still sleeping?…
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Interesting things happen in our lives when we get curious about the world around us.
In my pursuit of spring changes (this girl need a lot of change) I started thinking today about the one thing I could shift to create a meaningful difference in my life. I want to look at the habits or long-held beliefs that I could shift just ever so slightly. As a culture I think we go to extremes…politics, diet, exercise, vices etc. What if, just what if one slight change in your life could net a really significant improvement to the quality of your daily experience? What could it be? What are the possibilities? I would love to hear your ideas.
