Mini-Thrills

Here is your summer homework:
Every day this summer, make sure you have at least one mini thrill.

Okay, this sounds fun Ginger, but what is a mini thrill?

A mini thrill is any small thing that brings you a surge of excitement or pleasure.

Reading a fun book, eating an ice cream cone, jumping into the pool, napping, watching a good movie, s'mores, cuddling with a pet, purchasing something new, buying tickets to an event, laughing with someone you love, picking out the flowers you will plant, starting a new hobby, rearranging furniture in a room...all of these are examples of mini thrills.

Some of these happen and we don't even notice the thrill. This summer, take time to pause and notice the good feeling - the surge of excitement or pleasure. And, be intentional about giving yourself this surge every day.

Before you go to bed tonight, plan what mini thrill you will have tomorrow. Allow yourself to be excited about it. Each night, I'm doing this in the form of saying to myself, "I'm excited about _________ happening tomorrow!" It is amazing how it shifts my outlook on the next day and how I feel in the present moment.

What we know about our subconscious mind is that it is a storehouse of beliefs - if I am naming what I'm excited about for tomorrow, my subconscious brain files a belief that tomorrow is going to be a good day. I'm fascinated by how easy this is and how much it helps. We just have to remember to do it.

Often, life is a lot better than we think it is. To keep us safe, the amygdala in our brain likes to remind us of all that can go wrong. The amygdala's job is to keep us alive and watch for danger. But, sometimes we need to turn off our alarm system so that we can experience peace, joy, and love. If we are living in fear, then we forget to notice the good stuff. And there really is so much good stuff that we miss by worrying. Many of us steal joy away from ourselves by worrying about things that will likely never occur. This summer, let's change that habit.

Think of things that you are looking forward to, things that make you smile, people who are easy to be with, and projects that feed your soul. Fill your summer months with those things.

What are you excited about today?

Ohhhhh that sounds fun!

Sending you summer smiles,
Ginger