…is not something that you have the exclusive rights for.

We are now in the middle of the winter 2020/2021 and Corona forces us to stay at home and blocks us from visiting family and friends. On top of it the weather is not really inviting us to spend long hours outside.

You can´t change your environment but you can change the way you think about it and hence the way you react to it. Or in other words, life should not happen to you, it should happen for you.

Here are a few things that help me to get over this period and based on my experience, it works, as I still manage to have a nice smile on my face.

1.    Knowing that you are not alone in this game. Your neighbor feels the same, your colleague and your friend…., pick up the phone and have chat. If you are in need of something, e.g. groceries or getting something repaired or just a small virtual hug, ask for it! I never had the situation that people refuse to help, we just need to dare to ask.

2.    Spend some time outside. It is important to reconnect to nature. Never forget the proverb: “There is no bad weather, there is only bad clothes!” Breath in the fresh air, listen to the sound of the forest and enjoy yourself.

3.    Listen to the right music. You might have followed my post about lyrics of a few of my favorite songs the last couple of weeks. What are your favorite ones, the music that lifts you up? Put it on a playlist and charge yourself with positive vibes. Need a first song: how about these onse: What a wonderful world” or “Always look on the bright side” (stupid, I know, but simply thinking about the funny movie “The life of Brian” makes me laugh.

4.    This brings me to the next point, movies! What is your all-time top 10 list of funny movies? Think about it and write the list down, then watch it. Here are a few of my heroes: Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy, Jerry Lewis, Louis de Funes…(says something about my age right?).

5.    Last but not least, winter is the perfect time for reading. It doesn’t matter what you like, novels, books about wisdom, a cookbook or the latest publication of classic motorcycles. Just take the book, prepare yourself a nice cup of tea, find your most comfortable place and dive into the story. Two of the books you can currently find on my bed side table? “The Untethered Soul” from Michael A. Singer, and of course…

“Your Lighthouse Journey”, written by someone who is very close to me…. ( - :

www.dirksandenbooks.com

This list can go on and on. I just want to encourage you to actively drive your life especially by focusing on what really matters to you. Stop being the victim of your circumstances and start being the captain of your ship. I wish you a lot of fun by putting your own list together.

If you have good ideas how to get through challenging times please share it, I am really curious!

#YourLighthouseJourney #mindfulness #Resilience