I’m not so very worried about what others think about me, but I AM interested in my own mindset and how it helps me throughout the day. So if I have the opportunity to make a change for the better here, I’m certainly going to consider it.

How we think about the acts we carry out in our day can drastically influence our mood in the present and the future. When we have a task that brings us joy, we know we are often excited to carry it out, we look forward to it, and enjoy doing it, and we might even feel a bit of sadness when it’s over — though the overall experience is usually one of pleasure. When we have a task that we despise, we often put it off until the last minute, feeling rotten about it the whole time we do it, and a sense of relief when it is over, though often feel as though we probably could have done better at it, but at least it’s done now.

If we chose to look at all tasks in the joyful way, or at the very least, a more neutral mindset than a negative one, we might just be able to carry that neutral or positive feeling with us throughout the entirety of the day.

For those who find it a repetitive and endurable chore, going through the motions of the activity can weigh upon us in ways we’re not even aware. Our body might actually feel heavy as we carry it out. Our mind certainly does, and our language often expresses this “I have to do X”. But what if we simply flipped that and said “I get to do X”. Is that enough? Can we marvel at the interconnectedness of all things?

Let’s look at some mundane tasks:

Taking a shower — wow, in many parts of the world there is no clean drinking water, let alone fresh water that pours from a spout in our bathroom, allowing us to lather up and clean away all the dirt from the days past. Except in extreme circumstances, we can usually choose our water temperature, choose our soap/shampoo scents, choose our method of cleaning (hair first, body after, using a pouf or a cloth or a loofa or our hands). Showering is a privilege denied to many. Can we think of it as a pleasure rather than a chore?

Taking out the garbage — this means we probably had food on our tables and items in our home. This means we have enough that we can let go of things that we won’t use. Are you throwing out packaging, instead of recycling it? (That’s a sticking point, please recycle!) Do you live in a part of the world where garbage is not a commodity? Do you have the opportunity to reuse, reduce, refurbish, donate, and recycle? One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Can you think of it as GETTING to take out the garbage, rather than HAVING to?

Grocery shopping — Are you standing in line all day at one booth selling potatoes and when you get to the front of the line, they’re out? This might sound extreme, but this is a reality for some people. In most of North America, even now while prices sky-rocket and some shelves remain bare, we are still privileged enough to have choice and stock. And for those with less, there is often the option of a Food Bank at least once a month. Getting to go and choose the items you want, having the opportunity to choose the brand, or the variety of the item…. Even when counting every penny is your reality, can we see that grocery shopping is a gift, not a task to abhor?

I think you get the idea of where I’m going with this. Someone had to sow the soil and plant the seeds. Someone had to mind the plot and harvest the fruit. Someone had to process and package it. Someone had to ship it and deliver it. Someone had to take inventory and shelve it. There is a whole lot that goes into your ability to simply walk in a store and buy an apple today. We are all interconnected. We take so many steps in the process for granted. We rarely think beyond our own involvement with it. The task, the chore, the imposition on our lives to get this done.

When really…

That our society functions at all. That trucks cross borders and move items and deliver goods to those in need. That we work jobs and have money (though often never enough) and can trade it for the services and goods that we require. It is a huge moving beast of a machine and we are but a tiny spoke within it. I marvel all the time at all the opportunities available to me.

Do you ever think about what is beneath your feet in a city? The labyrinth of cables and pipes and supports required to keep the city running. I rarely think beyond the annoying bumps in the cement, which I complain about far too often!

Do you ever think about the magic of air travel? We are ON A PLANE. IN THE SKY. FLYING!! Holy heck is that a miracle or what? Humans who fly? Instead, we are often focused on the long wait times to board the plane, will they lose our luggage, or that the baby two seats over is crying. All the annoyances and obstructions that do or might befall us. When in reality, it used to take horse-drawn carriages months to get across this continent and often not everyone survived the trip.

I invite you to take this opportunity to reflect on the language you use around various tasks in your life. Whether it is chores in the home, work-related expectations, or interactions in your personal relationships. How can you reframe these in such a way that you thrill at the idea of being able to simply walk (because you’re able-bodied) from your home (where you have a roof over your head) to the end of the street (which someone plowed of snow this winter) and place your garbage bin (which someone will come empty) and return to the warmth (supplied by some of those lines under the ground) of your private living abode.

Do you have to deal with the annoying little twerps your cousin calls her children? Or do you get the opportunity to see youth enjoy even the smallest of things and wonder at the whole world around them. Can you flip your perspective and truly appreciate where you are and where you’re going?

I think you can do this, but if you need some help along the way, you can reach out to me for a free 30 minute discovery call and let’s see if we can work on this together!