Last week I had one of those days. You know…one of those days where everything seems to be just a little off.
It was a tiredcrabbyheadachehungrytotallyoutofsorts day. A woke up at 3:25am and couldn’t go back to sleep kind of day. A three appointments canceled – each at the last minute kind of day. A left my lunch at home on the kitchen counter kind of day. The last day my president was my president kind of day.
Maybe you know the kind of day I mean?
It was the kind of day where it was hard to see the good that was there because the not so good was casting such a big shadow. And you know what hides in the shadows? Self doubt. Fear. Confusion. Self-loathing. Anxiety. Depression.
Discontentment hides in the shadows.
You know what doesn’t hide in the shadows? Choosing to be unshakably ok, despite the yuck. Living in truth. Confidence. Pride. Faith. Power. Beauty.
You know what else doesn’t hide in the shadows? The presence of more than 1,000,000 women and men who organized and marched together all around the world to make it clear that discontentment is not welcome.
Contentment triumphs over the shadows.
Contentment, to be clear, is not settling for things as they are. Being content is about being unshakably ok, in the face of and in spite of the yuck in the shadows. The beauty of being content lies in the truth of the innumerable ways to recognize and practice being fully alive that are available in everyday life.
There was a time when the yuck of a day like I had last week could really throw me into a spin. Not so anymore because discontentment is simply not welcome.
Last week I drew the 4 of Spades as my contentment practice. For the week, my practice was to take the stairs. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Everyday52™ cards, it’s a deck of 52 cards that contains simple, useful, practical ways of focusing your attention on a positive action that results in increased contentment through self-care.)
What, you might be wondering, does taking the stairs have to offer that would offset the yuck of such a day as the one I had last week?
Simply this…every day last week I focused on ways I could take the stairs:
- I parked in the parking spots farthest from the entrance.
- I went for a run, even though it was cold and I was tired.
- I quite literally took the stairs when I had the choice to take the elevator.
I chose to move whenever I could and every time I did so, I did so with intention and the awareness that I was choosing to practice contentment.
Last Thursday, I met that tiredcrabbyheadachehungrytotallyoutofsorts day with a resolve not to let it get the best of me. I focused on practicing my card for the week because I was not (and am not) interested in inviting the yuck of discontentment to join me.
The way I choose to see it, the Women’s Marches around the world is a beautiful example of more than 1,000,000 people effectively practicing taking the stairs!
Being unshakably ok in order to stand up to all that hides in the shadows is more important now than perhaps ever before – and may be one of the most crucial things I can do. Actively caring for myself and being well makes me stronger. The stronger I am, the better my ability to make an impact.
I vow to not settle for the circumstances and the situations that reinforce a life of discontentment. I choose to meet what hides in the shadows with a reinforced awareness of what it takes to be and remain strong. I choose to live an everyday life of truth. Confidence. Pride. Faith. Power. Beauty.
I choose to do so and to keep practicing being unshakably ok. I choose contentment and with that I am ready to draw my next card.
Join me in taking a stand against discontentment! Please follow me and help spread the Contentment Movement word!
