Three weeks in to the new year. Three weeks in to the new decade. Three weeks until 80 something percent of the population forgets about their New Years resolution.

If you missed it be sure to take a look back at Questions To Reflect On And How To Thrive In 2020. As you read it be sure to dive in to your story and identify what you want out of this coming year. I’m not just talking about your beach body, how many episodes of Friends you think you can get through, or how you’re going to finally tell your coworker on February 18th that her breath smells and to stop clicking her pen in meetings.

No folks, I’m talking about reflecting to identify what you’ve done and using that information to create sustainable goals for this year. Use the questions listed to get that brain churning.

Speaking of churning…lets dive in.

What Do We Feel In A Day

Think of the range of emotions that come up in a standard day. Heck, what emotions came up for you TODAY. Think on them. What did you experience?

Here are a few examples while you think.

• Excitement

• Happiness

• Disappointment

• Compassion

• Fear

• Anxiety

• Joy

• Frustration

• Desperation

• Doubt

• Anticipation

Did any of those align closely with some feelings you had throughout your day? Me too.

The majority of emotions we experience in our day to day lives come from combinations of our home life, our work life, and our relationships. The range of emotions we experience is extensive. Think about work today. How many emotions came through you in a matter of 8 hours? How about 5 hours? What about 5 minutes?

Wild, isn’t it?

It's also extremely difficult to navigate all these different emotions we are experiencing. I’ve certainly had my struggles. Early on in Wave Rider I pointed out how there became extensive periods where coasting and going with the flow felt natural. Up, down, and back up again. The same can be said for my emotions during those times. Maybe you can relate from different periods in your own life. “I’m so happy right now!” Five to seven minutes later it possibly could have been “are you kidding me, how could you do that, what in the world is going on?”

Here’s what in the world is going on.

We’re confused, we fly by the seat of our pants, and we continue on the roller coaster of emotions like we’re at Six Flags.

Guys, GET OFF THE RIDE.

I’m not yelling at you of course, only urging us all to come together and realize the bigger picture. It took me a long time to get a grasp on it and I am still learning how to better these waves each and every day.

During several deep dives, reflections, and readings to try and understand why I was in such an emotional and mental rut, I learned something. To this day it has become an extremely valuable tool for me.

Simplify

It’s not easy. Our lives are extremely busy. We go to work and have meetings, make phone calls, talk shop, have more meetings, rub our eyes, and go for a walk to take a minute. Then we might grab the kids or go to happy hour, make supper, watch the game, laugh with our significant other, argue with our significant other, put the kids to bed, and throw on Netflix until we fall asleep. That’s exhausting.

Within that exhaustion is the range of emotions that come with them which are, of course, also exhausting. How do we keep up?

Simplify.

When we simplify we slow down. When we slow down we are more at ease. We are more effective problem solvers. We can look at situations and identify what needs to be done. The tiny, non-important things we put on a pedestal and make them big life problems seem silly when we slow down.

With that I’d like to share one thing we should feel each and every day. Among a variety of things to feel each day one has become significantly important to me.

Gratitude

Gratitude should be simple yet we often times see it as complex. There are times when a big event, a huge blessing, the 9th inning home run, the accident you narrowly escaped out of, or other really significant experiences that happen where we then find that meaningful event to show gratitude. Shouldn't we be grateful for small things, big things, all things?

When we consistently practice being grateful, even for the smallest things, then something becomes extremely evident.

When we show appreciation for the small things we cherish them. When we do that the bigger events, opportunities, experiences, and people that come into our lives seem that much greater. If we’re grateful for the small things, everything feels big. If we’re only grateful for the big things, everything feels small.

I would love to hear how you are showing gratitude every single day! It’s there, trust me. Practice slowing down and simplifying your stressful situations. Is it really that big of a deal? Am I actually mad? Do I have any control over what I am frustrated about? When we simplify we often realize how unimportant our situations and attached emotions actually are. When that happens, life becomes simpler. Life becomes easier. We are able to appreciate more when we have less to worry about. When we have less to worry about, we are more grateful. It’s in that frame of mind where we truly become aware that the little things are the big things.

Don’t be shy.

What are YOU grateful for today?