My birthday month is here! I am almost 39. If I were to take the same path I did with 29, then I would be dreading turning 40. Hopefully, I can try to keep that from happening by taking a different perspective. I have so much to be thankful for as I look back on the years. I also have many reasons to look ahead. Rather than counting down the days and sadly looking at this next year in a gloomy state, I would prefer to take on more of a positive mindset.
Whether you feel the same way about your milestone birthdays, or you have something else you are counting down, what is your approach to the countdown? Are you awaiting the arrival of someone or something? Are you watching the clock until you can go on a vacation? Are you counting down to the end of the school year, wishing our crazy year was over? Maybe instead of just wishing for the day to come, we should consider the enjoyment of the days ahead. Consider these questions as tips and make that time count:
Tip #1: What can we still accomplish?
I was thinking about the number of days remaining in the school year and it came to me that I still have so many things left to do. Then, it came to me that I do not want to dread that work. So, I decided to make a list of what I needed to do and what I wanted to accomplish. After prioritizing, I took a moment to consider the opportunities where the work could be beneficial to others. That is then when I reframed the thought of it all as a list of accomplishments rather than just a to do list.
Tip #2: How do we live in the now?
Celebrate of course! In my second blog, I wrote about a learning mindset and one of the tips was to celebrate the process. Wishing for time to pass or wanting to just get through the process is likely to have a negative affect on your mindset. Similar to the blog about celebrating the small steps toward achieving your goals, consider taking the approach of being in the moment and celebrating the little things. You can even reward yourself if the task isn’t your favorite, but yet find a way to make it worthwhile.
Looking ahead
Since everyone deserves a break from time to time, I decided to take the summer off and focus on getting my book manuscript to the finish line! So, look forward to a return in August and enjoy the summer.