I am posting this before 4 weeks is up because I will be starting a new monthly challenge on Monday. I don’t like my blog posts to be too close together so am finishing this week’s reflections early. Here are selections from my journal this past week:

DAY 22

Right now, I feel grateful to be alive. May I remember this feeling and be able to find it again when the next crisis hits me. The concept of PAT is so important and valuable to me; I think I am finding the right rhythm in my week. All is not well with the world right now, but all is well enough for me at this moment.

DAY 23

I heartily enjoyed playing a violin solo for church this morning with Randa Parker. Performing gives me such energy; I really should try to set up more “performances” even if just for family in the evening. This could be a huge motivation booster for me.

DAY 24

I slept in this morning. I did this yesterday morning as well, but it was by less than an hour and it was a Sunday, so I didn’t think much of it and treated it as a fluke. That was probably my first mistake. This morning was significantly worse. However, I eventually did get up and surprisingly did not feel that much guilt about it, mostly just sorrow over the lost time. This is a welcome change and totally appropriate.

DAY 25

I endured/enjoyed a 45-min heartfulness meditation session this evening via zoom. I try to do one of these per week. I attach my TENS unit before starting and set up a few yoga mats and pillows to create a meditation station. I always find these challenging both mentally and physically, but usually feel calm and centered afterwards. My motivation seems pretty stable.

DAY 26

I know as a mindset this won’t always work, but whenever I can it helps to view my sleep time as sacred and have rituals that communicate as much (such as lighting candles when going to bed and waking up). The importance to my motivation level of getting to bed on time, enjoying restful sleep, and following a predetermined plan in the morning after my alarm goes off CANNOT be overstated.

DAY 27

I had a glorious meditation practice this morning. It was a little bit cooler than it has been, there were some beautiful swirls of clouds in the sky and the sun was just up over the horizon. I think I am becoming better able to appreciate and be grateful for the beautiful things I encounter everyday instead of only fixating on the big picture.

I love compiling insightful and motivational quotes whenever I come across them. I read this one by Winston Churchill the other day and it immediately resonated with me.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.“

Sometimes I feel like I “fail” at every thing I do. This quote reminds me that success is not a destination but a mindset. Timeless wisdom.

Namaste.