Counting Your Blessings

Gisela / CC BY-SA 2.0

About a week ago, in a break from 18-hour days filled with consulting, teaching yoga, doing a little day job to make ends meet, and pitching new business, I posted to friends a list of things I've been grateful to discover (or rediscover) as a result of the downturn. Largely in response to the decline in incoming funds, what has increased in the past year is my sense of resourcefulness, my sense of priorities, and my ability to see beauty in the simplest moment. Although it really felt great to write the list for my own benefit, I hesitated to post it. Truth be told, the worry that people might judge me for my struggles crossed my mind more than once.

But of course, life being the generous experience it is, this small act of transparency brought blessings back to me many times over. Friends from around the world emailed and even called to say how much the gratitude list brightened their days. Others posted their own sources of gratitude, ranging from the smallest to the most impactful. My most fashionista friend confessed enjoying scouring sale racks in her drive to maintain her carefully-tended image. Another friend from childhood shared her delight in rediscovering the local free paper as a source for finding great FREE cultural events. Friends in London whose work situation forced them to share an apartment with another professional couple expressed gratitude for the deepening in their friendship and sense of community with this other couple.

All that in perspective, here's my little list:

1. Cortados (Latin lattes probably made with Cafe Bustelo) from little corner bodegas for $1.25.


2. Rockstar haircuts from Chinatown for $25.


3. Levi's AWESOME skinny jeans.


4. Selling stock to make ends meet during a lean spot did not kill me - and recognizing the blessing in having stock to sell!


5. Dry cleaning bags cut into squares make great doggy-curb plastics.


6. Threading instead of waxing saves a LOT of money.


7. Happy hour with friends at home is a lot more relaxing.


8. QiGong from the little underground places is AMAZING and 1/3 the price of a spa massage.


9. I can still paint my own toenails.


10. Making birthday gifts always was and is still more fun.


11. I don't miss frivolous shopping at all.


12. Consignment shops in NYC are full of AMAZING stuff.


13. Coconut oil is a FABULOUS deep conditioner.


14. Theme parties beat lounges hands down.


15. I have more music already than I could ever listen to in a year.


16. My doggy likes broccoli more than doggy treats.


17. This meditation/yoga stuff really works on managing stress and keeping peace of mind.


18. Hot rollers instead of salon blowouts.


19. A puppy who insists we start and end each day with a session of playtime.

Right after posting the list I realized the holiday season is about to kick off with Thanksgiving just next week. While I always love how the holidays give us a reason to draw together, I am already feeling a tender respect for all that I, my friends, and my family have been through in the past year or so. Health, employment, living situations, relationships - just thinking about it inspires a sense of quietness and appreciation. While that list above could go on indefinitely, the thing I'm really happy about is recognizing how full and beautiful my life is at any given moment, and how much grace we all experience in authentically sharing our lives with each other.

Be well,

Tevis

Related Topics:

• Mind, Body, Spirit: Member Discussion
• The Good Life Neighborhood
• Emotional Wellness - get helpful tips in your inbox

Perspectives from a Party

Photo: Tevis Rose Trower

Life is a great storyteller - offering moments of insight into the mundane and the sublime, the tragedy, beauty and celebration of it all. The great storytellers all do this and it resonates for us because in their observations are embedded the very paradoxes that exist in our own lives.

Last Saturday night, life delivered one such a powerful response to conversations we've all been having about how short life is, and the mandate to overcome obstacles and put yourself fully into whatever you're doing no matter what, where, how or why.

Last Saturday night friend Sheena Mathieken threw a party to celebrate the six month mark of her really cool Uniform Project. In the Uniform Project, Sheena has pledged to wear the same dress every day for a year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. You can go onto her site and see the many ways she has injected creativity into it - looking, as she says, as if accessorized in the "Marquis de Sade's boudoir". She created this initiative as a fundraiser for educational initiatives for kids in slums in India. So far, the effort has won attention from the BBC, Elle, The New York Times, and The Times, London. Slightly over $28K later, with German press at the party and a room full of New York's creative influencers, it's clear Sheena is just getting her engines started.

Updating her about what's up in the world of corporate yogis, the focus on shifting consciousness she laughed, "if it were really about fitness or staying thin, my secret is following your passion AND keeping your day job - I have two full time jobs now and the energy alone is enough!". Even her boss acknowledged the energy this is demanding of her and that she is completely engaged and happy in what she is doing.

But last Saturday night after we left the party, someone in the building apparently fell down an elevator shaft and died. I'm not the first to report this - it's posted on Gothamist and ABC News. The tragedy to the deceased and his circle of loved ones is unimaginable. For the rest of us at the very least it is a powerful reminder to live our lives with passion and purpose, contribution and without complaint.

Which is what Sheena was already doing and hopefully will continue to do. Stressors clear, I'm offering up a prayer that this accident doesn't take Sheena off course either in this project and all the incredible contributions she has yet to make. I'm urging you to go to her site and tell her to keep going and if you have an extra $5 in your bank account make a donation.

The world needs the Sheena's and the you's and the me's to look life in the eye and give all we got while we're here - as you live your own greatest story, don't let anything take that offering off track.

Be well,

Tevis

Related Topics:

• Mind, Body, Spirit: Member Discussion
• The Good Life Neighborhood
• Emotional Wellness - get helpful tips in your inbox

Rise & Shine

Photo: Tevis Rose Trower

Walking home from teaching yoga Halloween morning, I passed a team of paraplegic "wheelers" getting ready for the NYC marathon. Twenty strides past this tangible reminder of happenstance and courage gave me pause to consider the ephemeral nature of this little life - that we come in, do some stuff while we're here, experience a lot, then die. Shakespeare captured this sentiment beautifully in The Tempest:

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

Indeed. It seems that the great decider of how we live isn't so much any other person or external influence, but the degree to which we determine how we will rise and approach life, and how we will recognize that we own the choices we make in the midst of the situations we experience.

So how can we move powerfully through this pageant of life? "What doesn't kill you just makes you stronger" is a quote I often heard as a kid growing up in the South. If you can imagine a heavy southern accent as you read that, then you can also imagine my surprise to learn that the famous German existentialist philosopher Frederick Nietsche is credited with first saying it. But even he can't claim originating the sentiment. My meditation teacher Sally Kempton just reminded me of the millenia-old yogic adage that "That by which you fall is that by which you rise", further reinforcing the notion that great wisdom has no nationality, dogma or ethnicity. It's just a simple truth - no membership fee required.

Giving much thought to how to rise, what to grow into, and what about life might feel more "happy-making" if approached a little differently, the approaching holidays are a great catalyst for bringing greater awareness to thoughts and intentions, choices and actions. And as much as I've dreamed of a fairy-godmother to make life easier, you don't have to look very far to realize there's not a wisdom teacher out there who says getting rich quick, shirking work, or surrendering your intelligence to situation comedies are paths to happiness.

Inspired by this, I looked at two traditional structures for the aspects of self - Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" and the yogic Chakra system - and made a map to prepare how to rise, not only through this holiday season but heading powerfully and peacefully into 2010.

Physiological
This level includes how you eat, getting some movement, some sleep, some comfort and downtime, making time for making love, taking care of primary physical self care such as dentist and yearly checkups, and yes, even simply heeding "nature's call" in a timely manner rather than putting it off after another 20 multitasks. Setting an intention here might include taking care of appointments long postponed, holding holiday drinking in check, packing a lunch rather than hitting the buffet, walking for 20 minutes before eating lunch, and making sure to take 10 minutes to breathe and center from time to time throughout the week. What can you identify that you need to remember on the physiological level?

Safety/Personal Power
This level relates to how well you stay connected to yourself in the midst of expansion into relationships including family, social and work. For many of us this brings up issues with over-committing, seeking approval or (the secret backside issue) forcing our will on others, judging ourselves or others, and any interaction with others that results in a power play rather than simply experiencing each other from a place of mutual respect and free-will. One way to keep yourself in that "happy-making" place is by asking yourself what you REALLY want as you consider any given choice. Whether simply determining whether to accept an invitation, or clarifying why you are squabbling with someone, this question will allow you to act on what is most true to you and to refrain from uselessly exerting your truth on someone who may have a different truth.

Heart/Love/Belonging
This is the flip side of the layer before. As an example from some of the most respected schools of coaching, there is an expression that we are all "perfect and whole", and in yoga we acknowledge this with the Sanskrit word "namaste" - loosely translated as the wisdom in me recognizes the wisdom in you. This doesn't mean we agree or even like each other, it simply means we give ourselves and others around us permission to exist exactly as we are. One way to practice this is to call to mind how it feels to observe an argument between two people you respect and admire equally seeing both sides as valid. That objectivity is a perspective you can cultivate in your own conflicts.

Self Expression/Communication
This layer is related to how we honor what matters most to us. How can you honor how you find meaning through this holiday season? Throughout your life? Taking the holiday example - maybe ritual is lost on you, but helping others means a lot. Maybe that means you spend the day volunteering and meeting others who share that value or inviting your family along or talking to them about why it means so much to you. Maybe you take on an issue you care about and blog about it. Maybe you join an organization that gives expression to issues you care deeply about. Think about it: over the next few weeks what could you commit to doing that really holds meaning for you? What about in the new year?

Self Actualization/Clarity
Self-actualization/clarity are often misunderstood as being really decisive or set in your ways. However, that way of being can only exist within artificial limits. For us to be fully alive, we have to stay awake to the dynamic world around us. Albert Einstein may have captured this best saying,

"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us "universe", a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

In this aspect of self, your responsibility is to move purposefully outside of the limiting circle of your known experiences and cultivate new inputs, new ideas, find new perspectives and take new actions as your knowledge evolves. What can you do in support of this over the next few weeks? In the new year?

Remembering how short and precious life really is, get up. Rise. Make the most of it while you're here.

Be well,

Tevis

Related Topics:

• Mind, Body, Spirit: Member Discussion
• The Good Life Neighborhood
• Emotional Wellness - get helpful tips in your inbox

The Difference is YOU

IMYJOB: Week 4

A couple years ago the most desired brand in high fashion recognized they had a serious problem: their employees were bitchy to people they didn't think would spend a lot of money. After I was asked to get involved in solving the problem, I tested these findings. My business partner (a former Microsoft employee) and I wandered into their boutique in Beverly Hills in our yoga gear. Lo and behold, the septuagenarian security guard is the only person who bothered to acknowledge us for the entire 20 minutes we endured being in the store. Not a good feeling.

This type of profiling happens in any business, but the obvious problem is that while missing out on lots of smaller transactions and creating a relationship with 14 year olds who will someday buy the $3,000 handbag, this company was also missing out on transactions from people like me and you who may not dress fancy, but in Sam Walton style can just as easily whip out the platinum AMEX when the mood strikes us. For the company this meant lost revenues. For the employees, it meant both lost sales commissions, and a very important something else - reducing interactions at work to either ones that "matter" or ones that aren't worth having. By adopting a mindset that precludes the majority of moments at work to being irrelevant, drudgery or a waste of time, the employees there had forgotten why they ever wanted to be a part of this proud brand to begin with. They had forgotten that this brand is the embodiment of luxury, of sophistication, and there is nothing luxurious or sophisticated about being rude or sleepwalking through the majority hours of life.

No matter where you work, for a couture name or a non-profit, there is a higher meaning behind the work you do. Each organization has central ideals and provides services others need. Sure we often look at this as nothing more than a reduced version of b.s. bingo - but those ideals are the core of how we connect and contribute to the highest version of what the organization is. Think about it: we can reduce what we do to its lowest meaning, or we can connect with it at the very highest.

As we've done with employees at organizations ranging from the NYPD to Yahoo!, employees at this company were invited to reconnect to why they ever wanted to work there to begin with. After working through their own stories of how they ended up there, the room was full of remembering the legacy, the attention to every last detail, the creativity of the vision, that working there meant "belonging" in a world of absolute luxury. We asked: okay, so if that's what drew you here, isn't it safe to assume a similar longing drew people into the door? How do you give them that experience in everything you do?

The room got quiet. We were all feeling a bit high on these notions of legacy, creativity, vision and absolute luxury. If you could have bottled that vibe you'd have a blockbuster potion no one could resist. Everyone sat with this question: how to exude these values in everything we do from answering the phone to making eye-contact to acknowledge someone even if we are busy helping someone else? How to treat ourselves with this same level of awareness so that in our interactions with each other (both other employees and the clients we serve), that vibe becomes the defining quality of the interaction. Yes, even in conflict.

Here are a couple practices you can use to get YOURSELF into your highest level of functioning at work:

1. What does the organization you work for stand for? Whether you work for SAP and deliver networking solutions or you work in food services and serve meals on trays, there are elements of grace and dignified service that are expressed by what you do and where you work. WebMD employees are a great example - they could see themselves as just working at an internet site or they could remember that this service makes valuable information available to countless people. Both interpretations are true - yet one reveals the grace and importance of their work while the other obscures it. I guarantee you it matters to how they feel about their work, how they produce and what kind of day they usually have. Look at your own job and identify those elements.


2. Ask yourself which of those elements most resonate with YOU. At Disney for example, employees are led through an exercise to identify which character most reflects their values - you can do a similar exercise for yourself. What about where you work got you there to begin with? If having a job period is what got you there, what about the work of your organization holds beauty to you? I call this the Point of Highest Resonance


3. Remind yourself of that Point of Highest Resonance on your way to work, and in the midst of conducting the tasks that are your work. Answering the phone. Responding to a colleague. How does that resonance come alive in everything you do - by doing this you literally bottle that highest vibe within yourself and emanate it with other people.

By using these highest values as an organizing principle as you contribute your energy, intelligence and self to your work, work becomes an outlet for self expression that is inextricably linked to feeling a sense of purpose, whether you've ever thought of it that way or not. Wisdom traditions teach us that Karma is the law of action, and work is another field of your action.

You've got the concept, now work it. Moving through the last week of this series, notice when your action is required at any given moment, and see how it feels to allow yourself to resonate with it at a higher level. Notice when your work calls upon you to create a solution. No matter how mundane the problem or simple the solution, notice that you can respond with a low appraisal of your work, your contribution, your life, or you can choose to embody a higher value for all of the above. Notice that no matter your role, the challenges of your day invite your imagination of other possibilities whether you see it that way or not. Your consciousness and cognitive powers mean that no matter where you are or what your role, it is up to you to make the difference in how you go about whatever it is you do for work.

Be well,

Tevis

IMYJOB - The Series:

• Jobs: Love The One You're With
• Black Holes & Illumination
• Employee ID: Work As Self-Expression
• Rut, Routine or Ritual?
• The Difference is YOU

Related Topics:

• Mind, Body, Spirit: Member Discussion
• The Good Life Neighborhood
• Emotional Wellness - get helpful tips in your inbox

Black Holes & Illumination

IMYJOB: Week 1


Borrowing from 12-step wisdom, one of the biggest leaps you can make towards loving your any area of life – work included – is admitting that you are a part of the problem. What problem? Well, whatever you consider to be the problem. All too often we hold a magnifying glass to the world looking for evidence of how we think things are and judging them according to how we think they SHOULD be rather than simply being present with how they are. And let's face it: until you are appointed as chief designer of the universe, the contrast between how you think things should be and how things are is often a vast one, that open empty space between the two often filled with discontentment. This week offers exercises to help you dive into that gap.

Let's get clear about a couple of things. Loving your job does not mean you think everything or everyone is perfect there. Loving your job DOES mean that your involvement with whatever is going on, imperfections and all, is not a source of unhappiness or resignation. Instead, held with love and commitment, the challenges you find are calls to action, catalysts of effort, and starter flames for investment of passion and cultivation of compassion.

Think about it this way: most of us can think of people who have "black hole" areas in their lives. A black hole area is an area in which they don't have much success or satisfaction, and when you hear them talk about it there's not really an upside present. For one friend it might be money. For another it might be romantic relationships. The possibilities are very broad, and can even be boiled down to specific phobias or discomforts such as heights, public places, being out of control, etc. These black hole areas are like neon indicators pointing to our most unconscious but limiting perspectives, ones that put us at odds with what IS, and each of us has them.

Oftentimes the black hole areas of others are much more obvious to us than our own, and offer great insight into the power of deeply held beliefs. For example: let's say I have lots of healthy friendships with women I admire and respect and then I meet a woman who tells me she struggles with friendships with women. I would be able to see her black hole as a black hole and experience my own wisdom in that area, while she might simply feel it as a foregone conclusion that by nature women are not trustworthy, loyal, supportive, etc. Multiplying this awareness opportunity over the countless people you encounter over the course of your day, conscious observation of your own mindset and the mindsets of others is a great step towards choosing ones that free you up from judging the world around you and reposition you as simply learning from it.

You may have heard conventional wisdom that the definition of insanity is "doing something over and over again, expecting a different result." The "doing" in this case is how we perceive the world around us and offers a key to creating powerful shifts. This week, apply this practice to the subject of WORK, looking for black holes and opportunities for illumination:

1. Begin to take note of how people in your life talk about work. Is it positive? Is there expansive curiosity or limiting judgment? Notice how many times you detect resignation, indignation, or other less than expansive states of being when the issues of work are involved. Direct this inquiry to your own inner circle: how do your parents or other primary life influences talk about work? Friends? As a parent, how do you talk to your children or other young people about work?
2. How many expansive or life-affirming attitudes do you encounter about work and how many times do you experience "black-holes"? As you survey these attitudes about work, notice your inner response to their attitudes. When speaking to people who express well-being and positive attitudes towards work, do you feel at ease or like running to your most reliable venting-partner? When you hear negativity about work, does it affirm your world view or bum you out? Responses can be a mixture of both, just get in the practice of NOTICING.
3. As you conduct transactions and commerce at work and in life, what do you notice about the attitudes of the people you come into contact with? That barista, cashier, call-center attendant, receptionist, etc., what do you notice about how they go about what they do? How do they handle conflict or less-than-perfect aspects of their jobs? BONUS: how do you engage with and respond to people who seem at peace with what they do?
4. As you take note of all these various attitudes and beliefs, ask yourself who seems happier with themselves and life. Ask yourself who around you seems to have something you can learn from in order to better your relationship with work. Remembering that whatever we focus on grows, allow yourself to take note of moments in which you are with people who are at peace with what they do (no matter how simple/menial/unglamorous/poorly compensated). Focusing on their energy, their language, and their overall sense of peace, what happens inside of you when you allow yourself to be present to their state of being?

By observing examples of black holes and illumination, you can begin to cultivate a greater relationship with illumination and greater awareness of your own black holes. If you are getting together with a group or undertaking this practice on your own, either in writing or in moments of reflection, honor your own process by considering carefully what you have observed and what you can learn from it. Resist the urge to dismiss another's state of well being as "unintelligent" or otherwise invalid. Instead, focus upon what they get and what they give out in terms of peace of mind and satisfaction. Is there some aspect of their way of being you can try on from time to time this week?

Be well,

Tevis

IMYJOB - The Series:

• Jobs: Love The One You're With
• Black Holes & Illumination
• Employee ID: Work As Self-Expression
• Rut, Routine or Ritual?
• The Difference is YOU

Related Topics:

• Mind, Body, Spirit: Member Discussion
• The Good Life Neighborhood
• Emotional Wellness - get helpful tips in your inbox

Jobs: Love The One You're With

If loving your work sounds like a luxury you can't afford, think again. You MUST be in harmony with what you do every day. As a biological organism and life system, feeling positively about what you do is necessary for both your well-being and effectiveness. When you hate what you do, you carry the chemical reality of those negative feelings around inside of your body, impacting both critical functions of vital organs, as well as diminishing your ability to respond well, communicate, recall, formulate ideas and create solutions.

This is no time to be less than optimal. With unemployment higher than most of us can remember, never before have new ideas, good communication skills, reserves of energy, and an ability to stay cool through chaos been more important. But if the notions that happiness at work is an operational norm and that true success is an inside job rank somewhere between Hallmark-wishes and reality TV, you may have to make a practice out of shifting how you think about where you earn your daily bread.

Whether it's bosses, subordinates, peers, clients, IT, finance, marketing, the news or even the company cafeteria that is getting you down, you can't afford to let anything stand in the way of feeling good about where you spend the majority of your days. If health reasons and quality of life aren't enough to motivate you to try on a new attitude, consider this: there are plenty of people out there who really, really, really want your job right now. So how do you do it? How do you adopt a positive mental framework about WORK?

Chances are your attitude DOES need a shift. Even before the downturn, Gallup reported that less than 27% of us were "truly engaged" in our work. And in companies where layoffs have occurred, chances are employees are feeling even more forlorn as they head to their desks. Post-layoff, the damage to the sense of trust between employer & employee is so grave companies can anticipate a multiple of 3x however many people were laid-off to leave their jobs in the next 12 months. And since the US Department of Labor recently reported productivity has improved 6.6% - the highest level in six years- chances are also pretty good that your company isn't about to spend bunches of money on extra bells and whistles to put a smile back on employees faces.

Here's how IMYJOB works:

1. Practice Makes Perfect: For the next four weeks, by each Monday at noon you will find a specific Focus Practice to help you shift your mind out of the work gutter.


2. Progress Not Perfection: Based on the ideas in the post, you will work with each concept and practice for a week and see if you feel a change in perspective or new energy. We're not talking magic wand here, we're talking personal empowerment at work and in life.


3. Happiness Loves Company: Some of us work best alone, but there's also something to be said about community and support. If that resonates with you, tell your friends, forward this as an invitation, talk to them about what it means to you to feel better at work every day and see if they are interested in doing it with you. Make sure they understand this will not be a scheduled gripe session or opportunity to vent, but will be all about looking at and practicing how you cultivate happiness in the midst of your workday.


4. Playing Nice (If you're going it alone, you can skip this point): Decide together how your group is going to function. If you work in the same company you can meet in a conference room at lunch time. If you prefer virtual, you can agree to swap notes on the posts and what you are observing. In some companies, people have even named their groups, a Success & Satisfaction Salon or whatever you want to call it. Agree that participants are all peers and only speak from the "I or ME" rather than giving advice to each other. Respect your meeting times and/or online sharing commitments, and also, what people SAY in the group STAYS in the group.


5. Keeping Zentention: Okay, so maybe "love" or "happiness" at work seems excessive - especially after a bad meeting or challenging commute. Whether you do all of the posts over the next four weeks of this IMYJOB or you just pop in from time to time, hold the zen-tention of being at peace with whatever is happening around you, and compassionately seeing the very real humanity in whomever is around you.

Confused? You should be - this is a confusing time. Then meet me back here in a week and let's get started using confusion as a catalyst for learning to be even more clear and satisfied.

Be well,

Tevis

IMYJOB - The Series:

• Jobs: Love The One You're With
• Black Holes & Illumination
• Employee ID: Work As Self-Expression
• Rut, Routine or Ritual?
• The Difference is YOU

Related Topics:

• Mind, Body, Spirit: Member Discussion
• The Good Life Neighborhood
• Emotional Wellness - get helpful tips in your inbox

Identity In Action: What You Do Is Who You Are

Photo: Tevis Rose Trower

"I triceratops therefore I am" loomed on a bus-stop billboard outside the grocery store near my apartment for weeks. The picture of the toddler making dinosaur claws with his small hands was cropped at the head, emphasizing his t-shirted little body and reinforcing that same message that what he does is who he is. Every time I passed it, though puzzling at the grammar, I simultaneously loved the notion of the little guy's joy captured there to inspire others. This "I summer Friday therefore I am" soon followed, as well as "I little black dress therefore I am" and "I dine after nine therefore I am". The campaign's objective was to remind us of the diversity of activities and individuals that make New York City great, but it also begs a bigger question: what actions define who you are?

After decades of "I shop therefore I am", economic realities are forcing many of us to rethink not only how we spend our money and time, but how we find the bearings of our identity when our former occupations have fallen to the wayside. I'm not just talking about brushing your teeth or balancing the checkbook. When we define ourselves with an emphasis upon the actions that produce positive feelings and enhance our self esteem, we create a go-to list of things we can do to give us a needed lift when we need it most. We also gain a more accurate sense of priorites when making choices how to spend our precious moments.

Try this: Each time you shift from one activity to another, notice your enjoyment level of whatever has just been completed. If it has produced a postive feeling, acknowledge it with an affirmative statement. In quiet moments, take inventory of the activities that bring truly positive feelings.

For the past week I've identified the following: I take my time walking my dog therefore I am. I discover new music therefore I am. I catch up with clients therefore I am. I take time to smile at people therefore I am. I meditate therefore I am. I work out therefore I am. I smell flowers therefore I am. I beautify my home therefore I am. I yoga therefore I am.

It's a small but powerful practice, I promise you that. Between running errands, observing the world situation unfolding and managing all the little relational challenges present in any life, this practice of recognizing catalysts for good feelings around you not only shifts your inner mantra, but literally calms your nervous system with reminders of wellbeing. I've been surprised how many things I might not categorize as being pleasant that actually are (paying bills), and just as surprised at how many things I might automatically pop into the pleasant category that actually aren't. The shuffling of items on my own inner to do list has been remarkable, showing a gap between what I assume I enjoy and what I ACTUALLY feel pleasure in doing.

Give it a try and let me know how you triceratops.

Be well,

Tevis

Related Topics:

• Mind, Body, Spirit: Member Discussion
• The Good Life Neighborhood
• Emotional Wellness - get helpful tips in your inbox

Practice Peace NOW

You never know where passion for work will show up. I remember during jury duty this past year the guy who ran the jury pool had such dignity about him and respect for every person with whom he spoke, I couldn't bear to be dismissed and leave the municipal court building without complimenting him. He told me that he took the job because he loves people, and he loves creating order and clarity. This is a fairly common sensibility. That he remembers it each and every time he takes the microphone to address a couple hundred resentful Manhattanites forced to serve jury duty is the remarkable part.

He's not alone in this. I've been thinking about how often I encounter a restaurant server or customer support rep who manages to have a smile in their voice and convey respect for themselves and me in their words - it really is amazing.

Photo: Tevis Rose Trower

Just last week after teaching an early morning corporate yoga class, I ducked into NYC's Angelo David Salon for a WAY overdue trim and was delighted to find myself in the presence of a stylist who reminded me of exactly this. Meagan Frayne popped me in her chair and started talking to me about aspects of my hair, health, image and self-esteem that made me feel better.

I asked her what made her so alive in what she does and she said to me, "Sure, I'm just cutting someone's hair, but that someone may go days on end without anyone really making eye contact, listening to them, or inviting them to relax. If I can really be present with them and give them the peace of my presence, I may not be making world peace, but I'm inviting peace into their world and keeping it in my own."

Great information aside, what really made me feel better is that behind the perspective and data, Meagan knows that the quality of our days is comprised by the experiences we have moment to moment.

Peace NOW is right. I'll be back for more.

Be well,

Tevis

Related Topics:

• Finding Peace
• Mind, Body, Spirit: Member Discussion
• The Good Life Neighborhood
• Emotional Wellness - get helpful tips in your inbox