From the desk of Melissa Rivers
Most people who are experiencing conflict withdraw from doing the things that add peace and enjoyment to their lives. On top of the already solemn mood that is being displayed, a decision is made to stop doing things that are enjoyable, in order to sit in the conflict and ride the wave of emotions.
When it comes to conflict, I often think of the quote by Mahatma Gandhi that says, “happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”Â
Nice quote, but how often does this truly happen? How frequently are your thoughts, words and actions completely aligned? Most of the time, one of these three elements isn’t showing up for the party, or ready to play nicely. The words you speak proclaim your intention of doing great things, but your mind tends to disrupt things by ushering in fear or overthinking.
To be real, life is absolutely happening, and we are the benefactors of what happens, good, bad or indifferent.
You have every right to feel sad when you want to or to take a break for as long as you need to, but in doing so, don’t give up doing the things that add peace and joy to your life.
Don’t retreat. In times like this, you have to remember your melody.
I like to think of my “happiness triggers” as my personal melody.
My melody consists of painting, writing, long walks, beautiful bodies of water and of course music! These are the tools that I depend on to get through my challenging moments. These are the gifts that help me overcome when I feel defeated or less than my best. These are the same gifts that I turn to when I am celebrating a win.
When you find yourself feeling stuck, remember your melody and push Play!
Now there are things that knock the very breath from our lungs when we experience them. I know this feeling all too well. These are the things that leave us speechless or constantly guessing how, why, and what happened! Yet and still, you are an overcomer.
I want to share three things that you can do to realign your thoughts and breathe again when you are left feeling depleted.
- Start each day with an expression of gratitude. Ask yourself, “what am I grateful for today,” When you start thinking about things to be grateful for, you allow your mind the opportunity to reflect on your melody.
- Celebrate previous wins. Remind yourself of all that you’ve accomplished. If you are reading this right now, you’ve overcome 100% of the things that have been sent to challenge you. Celebrate that!
- Find something to focus on. You need a reason, a purpose or a person to get you over the hump. If making pancakes gives you joy, focus on that!
Your melody is your personal song. No one has the same song. The elements might be the same, but the style and vibe belong to you.
If you resonate with anything in this post, I invite you to join my next Peace by Design Academy or sign up for a CREATE! Empowerment Session.
Both offerings are a great way to extract lessons from past experiences in order to move forward with integrity and a detailed map of what’s next!
You have work to do in this world, and you cannot do it if you do not show up for the opportunity. Grab your melody and let’s go!
Peace,
Melissa
