Weekly Happiness Note September 12, 2024

The Value in Starting from Where You Are

Sep 12, 2024

“Each of us can find our source of comfort and strength from within. It’s simply a matter of starting from this moment right now that you’re in.”

Happy Thursday! 🌞

Do you ever find yourself caught in an endless loop of feeling overwhelmed? Whether that’s because a lot is happening around you that’s outside your control, or maybe you have a hectic schedule with a frantic pace, leading you to feel perpetually overwhelmed. If so, you’re not alone; check out this week’s happiness note, “The Value in Starting from Where You Are.” I’ll share seven ways to move forward empowered, particularly when you feel overwhelmed.

You can access this week's topic below (available for free subscribers) and consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive the weekly planning prompt and framework to set you up for September 16th - September 22nd.
❤ Emily

Here is a short 90-second video that highlights this week’s topic, and for the rest, read below:

This Week’s Featured Topic:

The Value in Starting from Where You Are

In today's world, our sense of certainty about many things has been lost. What does feel certain is the cloud of uncertainty that hovers over the moments up ahead.

Sure, the sun still rises and sets, and the birds still sing. We can settle in, knowing winter storms are sure to come around soon.

But the impulse to wonder about tomorrow begs the question: will this uncertainty ever end? No matter how we ask, this impossible query only robs us of the comfort and bliss in the moments we are in.

If what we truly long for is a sense of certainty about our world, it’s probably best to ease up on circling this question again and again. Nobody knows what’s around the bend. It’s silly to imagine that we ever thought we did.

We can find our source of comfort and strength from within. It’s simply a matter of starting from this moment right now that you’re in.

Here are seven simple ways to start from where you are:

1. Start from where you are: When your thoughts and worries feel jumbled in your mind, take three slow, deep breaths in and out. Breathe in and slowly out. Inhale in, exhale out.

2. Start from where you are: When you feel anxious and it’s challenging to let go, look around you and find three things you can see, touch, hear, and smell.

3. Start from where you are: When you start to feel an uncomfortable emotion, and your urge is to make it go away by distracting yourself with technology, see what shifts if you allow yourself to sit for a few minutes in your discomfort. See what your emotions might be trying to teach you. It’s okay to feel your feelings. You are not your feelings. You are so much more.

4. Start from where you are: when you feel impatient or agitated, and you want to scream – scream! Then, take one step forward from where you are unless you’re on the edge of a cliff. It is best not to step forward in that case. Give yourself permission to turn around and go the other way when you know that is in your best interest.

5. Start from where you are: when you feel guilty like you’re letting the world down, ask yourself this question: who made me ruler of the world? Wait, what?! You mean you’re not responsible for the world’s problems and solutions to said problems? Oh, sweet relief! You’re human. For the love of all things good, give yourself permission to be human. Give yourself compassion for being on a human journey. Start by giving yourself a hug right now.

6. Start from where you are: when you feel like you’re rushing around and never have time for what’s important to you, it’s time to sit down and write down what’s important to you. Get clear and then get in the driver’s seat of your life. Say no to more things that aren’t important and yes to things that are. Step by step, you’ll begin crafting your life in a way that feels good and right to you.

7. Start from where you are: When you can’t seem to let go of that nagging question: will this uncertainty ever end? It’s time to take stock of all that is right and good in the world. Take in a sunrise or sunset. Go puddle jumping. Notice the birds. Feel the gentle breeze on your skin. Phone a good friend, have a good laugh. Turn on music, listen, and move. If you can do any of those things, you are blessed, and that’s for sure. Our life journey is what we make of it. When we focus too much on what might be coming next, we lose the opportunity to savor what’s before us. We can always return to this and make our own reasons why life is a gift. It begins when we start from where we are.

You’ve got this!

❤ Emily

This Week’s Quote:

Limited on time or don’t feel like reading

Check out this week’s Video instead:

Subscribe above to unlock your weekly planning prompt, including a printable planning framework for September 16th - September 22nd.

Planning for Next Week📝:

Use the framework below to plan your upcoming week: September 16th- September 22nd. Some people like to map out their forthcoming week on Friday to ease into the weekend, knowing they are ready to hit the road running on Monday. Others (like myself) have a Sunday planning ritual. Do what works best for you. Over the years, in supporting many people in their planning and goal-setting, it seems to work best to pick a day of the week that’s easy to stick to so that your weekly planning becomes a habit and ritual.

What are your wins? Before you organize the upcoming week, ‘September 16th- September 22nd’, reflect on the week you are wrapping up. What are your wins (big or small)? What is something you are grateful for? What have you learned about yourself this week? Record your reflections in your journal or the Notes section of the Planner Printout. Feel free to comment below (others in this community will also be able to see your comment) or hit reply to this note and share directly with me.

Planner PDF printout: This printout is from the ‘Fall in Love with Your Life, Seasonal Planner’ and will give you the framework and planning system to help you organize your upcoming week: September 16th- September 22nd. Click here to access. You will need to enter a password to open the PDF. It’s in all caps: FILWYL

Accountability: If you’d like an accountability check-in to support you in making the weekly planning ritual a regular habit, just hit reply to this email after you’ve organized your week and let me know you’re organized and complete. Feel free to share your weekly intention/power word. I’m always happy to be the check-in support and would love to celebrate your wins.

Instructional Video: Get free access to this mini 20-minute video course. It will show you how to efficiently use the ‘Fall in Love With Your Life, Seasonal Planner’ method of organizing your week. Go here to access the free video course.

Priorities: What are your top three priorities for the upcoming week? What are some of the daily ways you will prioritize yourself? Remember to balance your energy output with energy input. Think: What has been energizing me lately? What has been draining my energy?

Connect with Nature: Here is a little video I made from my recent nature walk—a little inspiration to lace up your shoes and soak in nature’s gifts.

Journal reflection point prompted by nature: What has nature taught you about life?

Share your intention for the week of September 16th- September 22nd. What are you calling in? What is your power word/phrase?

Weekly Happiness Note with Emily Madill

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