For our Gratitude & Letting Go Challenge this month, you might ask yourself — what’s the actual habit? What am I supposed to do every day?
And that’s an awesome question.
We’re going to explore Gratitude& Letting Go in various areas of our lives, but in general we’re going to work on the skills of gratitude and letting go. To do that, we’ll have a practice session each day. That’s our habit.
I’d like you to set aside a daily practice session of just 5 minutes. You’ll want to give those few minutes your complete focus.
Here’s how the practice session will go:
- Set a trigger (wake in the morning, or after your morning writing session, or after you get your coffee, etc.) and do the session right after the trigger each day. Put up a reminder note near where your trigger happens so you don’t forget.
- Sit somewhere quiet, and try to give this session your complete focus.
- Turn inward, and see what you’re hold onto. For example, if you’re focusing on distractions, notice what distractions are getting in your way. Facebook, email, Reddit, Pinterest, etc.
- Watch your urges to go to your distraction, or your feelings around whatever you’re holding onto. What does the urge or attachment feel like? What need are you fulfilling when you give in to those urges or hold onto that attachment? What does it feel like when you imagine not having the thing you’re holding onto?
- Notice what pain the thing you’re holding onto is causing you. For example, distractions are causing you to waste your time, and not live the life you want to live. Possessions are causing you to waste your income, clutter your house, get into debt, spend your time shopping when you could be doing something better. Know that this pain is unnecessary, and caused completely by your attachment. Your attachment is causing your struggle.
- Notice that you don’t truly need the thing you’re holding onto. It’s a false need. You can let it go, and be freed of its burden.
- Now imagine that the attachment is gone from your life. Feel the release of pain and burden. Feel the freedom. Feel the lightness. Smile.
- Finally, practice gratitude with whatever you’re left with. You let go of something, but there are still other things that remain. How can you feel grateful for them?
Try to practice this each day, even for just a couple minutes, and see what it’s like.