"Life is like a mirror, smile at it and it smiles back at you."
I don’t know about you but it’s been another rough year… Between Covid in the forefront and climate change in the background, no matter where you are in the world, no one can escape the hardships the present times pose.
There are thankfully many tools at our disposal to cope with difficult life patches, and two of my favorite - as you know by now if you have been reading these blog posts - are mindfulness and focusing on the positive. Does looking at the happy snowman in the image above bring a smile to your face? I certainly hope so. Did you know that when we smile, thus activating the 42 muscles we have in our face, the brain releases various chemicals including the “feel-good” endorphins? Whether we feel like smiling or not, actually putting a smile on our face can change our emotions to more positive ones. And the cherry on the cake? It’s contagious!! Thanks to the mirror neurons in our brains, when we smile, we contribute to others feeling happier as well.
Try it: next time you are alone and feeling blue, put a smile on, close your eyes and feel how your body and your emotions literally change. Or, next time you are in the middle of an argument with someone… start smiling, and observe what happens.
So… when all else fails, remember to put a smile on your face. It’s the easiest and most accessible self-help tool there is!
2021 is drawing to a close. It’s always a good time to pause and take stock of what’s been going on in the past year before crossing over the bridge into the new year.
“Take a break and chill because this is the time of the year to rejoice, celebrate and also feel rewarded.”
With my clients, we use this time at the end of the year to pause and look back:
- What has been good? What have been some successes, and how have they come about? And make sure to also take a moment to celebrate the wins before moving on to the next phase of reflection.
- Next, look at what have been some challenges or obstacles, and what has been learned from them?
If you don’t have a coach to do this reflection with, you can always call me 😉 – or you can do this with a friend, or even alone by writing in a journal. It’s yet another moment of mindfulness as well as loving kindness, to give yourself this time of reflection, self-appreciation, celebration and of learning.
At The Challenge Coach, some of the exciting 2021 successes we are celebrating are:
- The successful launch and warm reception of a monthly newsletter and this blog post,
- A website available in three languages (English, French and German),
- A new website-based store with cute and inspirational products,
- Much more active and organized communication through our website and social media,
- A new presence on the podcast circuit.
None of this would be meaningful, though, without your support! Thank you so much to each one of you for being our kind and enthusiastic fans.
Something else which happens in many countries and communities around the world as the year draws to a close is the celebration of Holidays. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Yule, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice or any other holiday of this time of year, I want to wish you all…
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”
~ Hamilton Wright Mabie
I am grateful for this community of readers and supporters, and I am grateful to be able to participate in an annual “conspiracy of love”. I hope you’ll join me in conspiring during this end-of-year Holiday time!
I look forward to seeing you again on the other side of the Holidays, ready for another year of mutual support and inspiration through this blog. Our January blog post will discuss setting intentions and reaching goals successfully. Stay tuned!
