Did you ever watch the television show Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood? Each day, Fred Rogers would come out in his button-down sweater, play with his puppets, and start telling you that you were special. Back in the day, some people may have thought Fred Rogers was a little odd, perhaps even a waffle short of a stack. Mr. Rogers was really just way ahead of his time; he started telling the world about the importance of valuing and taking care of ourselves before self-love was fashionable.
The movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood; the Fred Rogers Story, is being released on November 23rd. This got me thinking; why should we wait until February and Valentine’s Day to celebrate the most important kind of love, loving ourselves. Self Love is not about being self-absorbed or narcissistic, it's about tapping into our uniqueness, connecting to our well-being, and nurturing ourselves so we can find our happiness. We practice self-love so we celebrate our strengths, become resilient, and truly shine. Self-love is always evolving and ideally, should be practiced daily. Practicing self-love can be challenging though; especially during times of great change. You need to be patient, kind with yourself, and persistent. Happiness is an inside job.
To help get you started, My Super Awesome Life is celebrating November with 30 days of mindfulness. Mindfulness is about paying attention with purpose, becoming aware of what is happening in your head without getting carried away by it. Being mindful is also an important step towards self- love. During the month of November, I will be offering ideas and resources to inspire you to become more aware, appreciate yourself, navigate change, and find your bliss. To get the party started, I have included a few suggestions below. I invite you to share your ideas to encourage others and subscribe to receive more. After all, Mr. Rogers was on to something. We’re all special, and we’re all in this together.
Leave a comment below to share your favourite ways to practice mindfulness. I look forward to engaging with you and best wishes for a super awesome month!
Jane
30 Days of Mindfulness…and counting!
1. Calm your Mind: Take time out to clear your mind of your thoughts and just be, even for 5 minutes. This time will help you gain clarity of thought and help you set your compass for the day.
2. Pre-Pave your Day: Start each day with intention and gratitude. Our intention creates our reality. Recognize that despite life’s challenges, you are in control of how your day will unfold. There is always something to be thankful for, even if it is as simple as you are still breathing today.
3. Recognize Your Accomplishments: Give yourself an Attaboy/girl note every day and tell yourself something really positive; how well you handled a situation, that you got yourself to work on time, that you didn’t tell that snooty, snotty, snippy person where to go and how to get there. Anything that will make you smile!
4. Nurture Your Garden of Thoughts: Our life is what we create, and there is an inner critic inside of everyone called fear trying to keep us small and safe. The downside is this fear also stops us from living a full life. Being a positive thinker, will help you attract more positive into your life.
5. Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone: Try something new; it’s an incredible feeling when we realize we have achieved something we didn’t know or think we could do before.
6. Follow Your Passion: You know that thing that gets you so excited but scares you at the same time? The thing you really want to do but have convinced yourself it won’t work. You should go do that!
7. Cultivate Healthy Relationships: Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you. Let them remind you just how amazing you are. If the people around you are not amazing, and do not love and encourage you, consider if you should be sharing time and space with this person or group. Anyone who makes you feel anything less than amazing does not deserve to be a part of your life.
8. Treat Others with Kindness and Respect: We feel better about ourselves when we treat others the way we hope to be treated. That doesn’t mean everybody will always do the same, but you cannot control this. Good deeds will always come back to you.
9. Have Fun and Get Out There: See and do things that light up your world. When we are stressed, we often try to lose ourselves in other activities such as work. Find time to enjoy things and bring balance to your life.
10. You Are What You Dream: Be mindful of what you think, feel and want: You are what you live, and your life will reflect this.