Blessings in disguise

Last night I found myself feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Is that ok to share? It wasn't anything big, really; more the culmination of busy days and looming deadlines combined with the excitement and satisfaction of doing more of what I love and being challenged to learn and grow. Still, I was in a funk worrying and feeling intimidated by it all. As I took some time to reflect on what was going on and could see the negative thoughts spiraling around and around, I remembered a story my mom had told me last week.

It was from a video she had seen online where a son challenged his mother to add "but I am so blessed" after every worry or complaint. Apparently, this practice led to increased happiness for the mother and she was playfully indignant that her son's advice had had such a positive effect. 

So, this morning when I woke up, I decided to also challenge myself by adding "but I am so blessed" to my internal chatter:

I have such a long to-do list, but I am so blessed...

I wish I knew more about website plug-ins, but I am so blessed...

What happened is my mind started contemplating those blessings. The fact that I get to spend the weekend with my brother and visit his home. I'll meet a dear friend's first baby on Monday. This refocused my mind and calmed my spirit. 

Amongst the to-dos, should-dos, and doubts, there are blessings just waiting for our presence. And that is not to say that I'm advocating we train ourselves to be a Pollyanna or suppress messy feelings, but I do think there is tremendous grace in widening our scope of vision in those moments of worry and overwhelm. The blessings can be welcomed to the table too. 

My challenge to you is to give this exercise a try. Take an afternoon or just an hour to tag on "but I am so blessed" to your thoughts. Simple but powerful. Let me know how it goes! I can't wait to hear what blessings are unveiled. 

With so much kindness, 

Antonella