The power of engagement is that it gives us a deeper, richer experience of life. With recent events highlighting the importance of this value in my life, I’m glad that I paid extra attention to it this past week.
I was definitely more engaged in my tasks and activities. I reminded myself to focus on whatever I was doing at any given moment; even in things like having a meal or taking a walk. I let myself follow my inspiration and really get into whatever I felt called to do at the time. For example, I spent half an hour one evening following hip-hop videos. I had a number of long conversations with friends. I spent a day with a close friend and her one-year-old. It was all very satisfying.
There’s a lot of joy that comes from really immersing oneself in an activity. Being someone who is future-focused, this was also an exercise in staying present. I’m feeling better about giving my day-to-day activities and happenings the importance and attention they deserve. Every day is full of magical moments when I am engaged.
I also asked myself, “was Ranjana happy today?” before going to bed every night. It gave me the awareness of whether or not I had made me a priority and if I had felt happy during the day. This was an interesting exercise and helped me notice moments of the day that made me happy or gave me joy.
Value for Week #8
The value for Feb 19th to 25th will be compassion. I have the habit of being rather critical of myself and want to break that pattern. Sometimes, I find myself being critical of others too. I’d like to get to a place of feeling deep compassion for myself and others. To this end, I’m going to start my day by reflecting on what self-compassion and compassion for others mean to me. Even a couple of minutes of reflection (either mentally or through journaling) works. At the end of each day, I’m going to reflect on how I practiced compassion that day.