Life is full of feelings. That’s a fact.
Whether or not you tune in to or acknowledge them is a bit more personal.
Many of us were raised to ignore or downplay our emotions.
Was that what you were taught?
There are benefits to knowing when to keep your emotions in check.
And big benefits to letting your emotions flow at other times.
It doesn’t have to be overly confusing.
I have a wicked sense of humor.
Depending on when or where you’ve been around me, you may be well aware of it or have no idea.
The smart-ass in me has to stay in check when I’m in professional meetings (and when I’m delivering a keynote speech!).
More often than not, there is a quick comeback on the tip of my tongue, that is hilarious…yet everyone might not agree, especially if it’s a serious discussion, I have to tone it down. It’s all about “appropriate” timing.
I like to have fun. I like to laugh. I love comedy and funny movies.
I enjoy being in a room full of positive, happy people who have a great sense of humor.
It’s easy to to get in touch with laughter and what it feels like, isn’t it?
Getting in touch with other emotions, may not be so easy for you.
During 25 years of life hiding behind my bulimia, I had two emotional states: 1 – Excited or 2 – Frustrated.
That was it.
I didn’t do angry, disappointed, hurt, sad or vulnerable.
And I had no concept of joy, compassion, confidence, inspired or satisfied.
It took me years to figure out how to feel.
Why is being in touch with your feelings so important?
A Gallup study found that 70% of people make decisions emotionally and only 30% make decisions based on rational factors. (A fact I learned early on in my sales career.) They call it the 70/30 Principle.
If that’s how you make most of your decisions, you better know how you’re feeling!
Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s study shows we make financial decisions based 90% on emotion and only 10% on logic. More ammo…
Beyond the studies, there is another reason to tune in to your emotions that impacts your quality of life at the highest level.
You get to choose how you feel
Every day, all day, in any situation. You have the ability to make a choice about what feelings you tune in to. You can be sad, angry, consumed in fear, “worrying yourself to death” over something, or you can choose to shift your focus and emotional state. Pretty cool eh?
You may be of the understanding that you just can’t control your emotions, that’s BS.
It is healthy to feel your feelings – selecting which ones you want to feel and for how long, is the secret.
It is a choice. How long you stay sad, upset, angry, or full of giddy laughter and high on life.
Feeling satisfied with where you are and what you’ve got in life is very powerful.
The easiest way to do that is to express appreciation and gratitude more often.
Acknowledge that you appreciate what you have and that you have everything you need in this moment.
Even if you want a different place to live, to be in a relationship, to have more money, to follow that dream that scares you…acknowledge that right here, right now – you’re good. You’re not broken – and nothing needs to be fixed.
What?!?!
Yup.
It’s a powerful place to start your day and live your life.
Think about this for a moment, how often do you hear other people talking about how satisfied they are?
More often people talk about what’s wrong, they complain, make excuses, blame other people and gossip, an awful habit.
Those habits just fuel the fire of what you think you need to be happy…when you have the ability to shift your focus to what you are grateful for, what IS working.
As simply as I can say it…life is about the journey.
Once you reach the destination, you find something else you want, don’t you?
You go on that special vacation, then it’s over. It was a moment in time.
You move into the new house, and it was so exciting…now it’s just home.
You decide to change jobs and in the beginning it is so exciting…then the honeymoon phase is over and it’s…just a job.
Life is best lived in the satisfaction of the moment.
What are you most satisfied about today?
What’s the best thing in your life right now, in this very moment?
What do you enjoy more than anything?
If you want to live a more fulfilling, happier life…take the time to look around and appreciate what you have, what’s happening and where you’re headed. Because the journey never ends, you always get to head out after the next thing you want to be or do or have.
Life is Amazing
It’s just a process of understanding how you feel about it.
And realizing that if you’re not happy, you have a choice to shift your focus and find something that makes you feel better.
Life can be easier than you think
What if you commit to being more aware of how you feel for the next 7 days?
Often I have clients set a timer on their phone to check in throughout the day.
When the timer goes off ask yourself, “How am I feeling?”
If you’re feeling good, keep on that path where you’ve been focused.
If you’re edgy, pissy, angry, scared or worried, shift your focus.
Ready to significantly affect your quality of life?
Start with, “How do I feel, right now?”
