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I’ve been trying to come up with and learn a few strategies to help myself identify, access and live with “enjoyable positive qualities”
By living those positive qualities, I figured I might also be able to access and live with a deepening sense of contentment, happiness, love and compassion for myself and others.
Here are a few of ways I’ve been using some ideas and pages to help myself connect more often with enjoyable activities in which I am feeling valued, positive qualities.
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Last month, I felt “stuck”…and was having a hard time “getting going” or initiating positive activities. That didn’t feel good, so I tried to come up with some ideas that might lead to participating in more variety of positive activities…whether going “out and about” or staying home and enjoying quiet activities such as sitting and reading.
I sat down with pen and and a few pieces of paper, chose a few headings for a several simple activities that I’m aware that I do enjoy or have recently enjoyed…and brainstormed “positive qualities” that I felt, thought or used as I was doing each activity.
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My husband Peter was kind enough to participate in doing this brainstorming, too. I was amazed by the positive qualities he wrote down that he felt while doing those activities he enjoys. I previously had no idea why he enjoyed some of those activities..and was so surprised to see how and why those activities feel so special to him…leading to me wanting and encouraging him to participate more often in those activities…. to enjoy those positive feelings and qualities… Wow! That was an unexpected surprise!
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Next, I typed some of those “activities”
and the positive qualities I had noticed while doing each of those activities
onto this page…
As you can see…there are some very ordinary activities…even “napping”….
that actually turn out to have LOTS of positive qualities that I feel while doing them…
activities I can appreciate and easily participate in more often
Another terrific surprise!
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A blank page…for brainstorming about other activities I participated in throughout the weeks and months.
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A “reference” list of a variety of positive qualities…
to look carefully through this list,
to help myself identify some of the positive qualities that I might feel or use
while I’m doing some enjoyable activities
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Possible ways to use the ideas on these pages for accessing more of those enjoyable positive qualities:
- Look at any enjoyable activities I’m currently “doing” to figure out what positive “qualities” I’m feeling as I’m participating in those activities right now or soon after participating in them.
- Learning to recognize, enjoy and value living with those positive qualities, while I was participating in those activities.
- Learn to notice, appreciate and savor those positive qualities as I am participating in those enjoyable activities.
- Noticing that even very simple activities can carry a number of very positive, enjoyable feeling qualities…
- Learning to value the very “ordinary” seeming activities that are actually quite enjoyable and elicit some very positive feelings or qualities
- When feeling “stuck”…not feeling motivated to “do” much of anything…to look at the pages I’ve filled in….to see what positive qualities I might be able to access and enjoy in this moment…and find activities where those are shown or manifested.
Learning to choose activities that elicit qualities I’m wanting to activate or increase:
- When feeling “stuck”…not feeling motivated to “do” much of anything…to look at the pages I’ve filled in….to see what positive qualities I might be able to access and enjoy in this moment…and find activities where those are shown or manifested.
- An example: if I’m stuck in neutral or having a hard time getting going or initiating much of anything, I’ve noticed that when I get out and drive my car anywhere…it doesn’t matter where… I immediately seem to feel more independent, in control, alert, focused, motivated, dynamic, making choices, planning my route and following that route and making adjustments to the route, alert about how others are driving etc. All of these qualities help me to shift and feel more confident, energetic, motivated and feeling a really positive sense of initiative.
- If I’m feeling tense, cut off, worried, in my thoughts etc, I notice that if I sit down on the couch beside my husband…or with our precious, lovely little dog Lila… and watch tv...even though there aren’t many tv shows I like….and surround myself with soft pillows and snuggly blankets…. that I often shift into a really enjoyable sense of warmth, affection, appreciation, connection and kindness. I can learn to notice, appreciate and savor those enjoyable feeling qualities, as I’m feeling them.
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I had used this “reference” list a few years ago
when I was first starting to notice and appreciate a variety of positives
as I was living them each day
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Smaller blank brainstorming pages
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Sooooo…these are a few of the ways I’ve been using these ideas and pages to help myself connect more often with enjoyable activities in which I am feeling positive qualities.
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Learning to use these idea might lead to
finding and initiating a greater variety of simple, enjoyable activities.
Participating in more enjoyable activities
supports “living” a variety of positive qualities.
“Living” more of those enjoyable positive qualities might lead to…
a greater sense of happiness and contentment,
more freedom from feeling stuck in possibly “less happy” states of mind.
Learning to live with more richness, variety, choice and sense of well being,
will be of benefit to oneself and everyone around us…
living with more compassion and love
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All of these ideas support living with a deeper sense of compassion and love…
compassion…
the wish for all beings, oneself included, to be free from unhappiness, struggle or suffering
love…
the wish for all beings, oneself included, to live with more happiness and contentment
Wishing compassion and love for ALL beings, ourselves included.
One way to support this happening might be
to identify and initiate a variety of enjoyable activities.
The “intention” or “hope ” for all of these ideas:
nurturing, nourishing, immersing, surrounding and sustaining
an increasing sense of love and compassion,
and an increasing, deeply appreciated sense of well being
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Pocket Perspectives 