Welcome in, friend. Gather close and make yourself comfortable.
We made it. The conclusion of the first month of 2024. Congratulations.
I’m leaving this month feeling good. Hopeful. Grounded. Present. Grateful. Calm. At peace. These emotions are presenting themselves more frequently as time and the commitment to practices of gratitude, movement, and meditation sink in. I’m excited about the future. I’m humbled by and indebted to the past. And I’m here, awake and open to the present.
It feels good.
This past month has revealed to me the importance of doing what feels good, and I’d like to spend a moment today celebrating that.
Settle in, take a deep breath, and get ready to pause in 3…2…1…
Do what feels good.
That’s been the lesson banging on the surface area of my frontal lobe this month.
It’s simple and complex. Simple because—like Nike—there’s no more to it than to Just Do It. Complex because—in just doing it—I’m having to deconstruct and battle decades' worth of momentum telling me I don’t have the time.
There’s a monumental shift happening inside me. I’m evolving from doing what feels good after I feel I’ve earned it to doing what feels good just because. It’s a real 1-2 punch of internal revelation and personal revolution. A needed shift. A necessary rewiring of personal beliefs.
I can feel it in my bones that choosing to do what feels good is providing the dawn of a new phase in my life. A phase in which investing time in myself and the things that make me feel good is the priority, not the final item on my to-do list. It’s a phase that’s tabling short-term gratification good, and doubling down on long-lasting, new-habit-forming good. I’m putting conscious effort toward prioritizing what feels good, and it’s leading to what I consider good feelings (calm, peace, content, gratitude, joy, awe) on a more regular basis. This feels obvious, but it’s been an experiential delight nevertheless.
I’m finding I thoroughly enjoy waking up early and going to yoga. It feels good. Just like it feels good to take Rufus for long walks on the beach. It feels good to sleep eight hours, eat nutritionally rich foods, and be kind to myself. It feels good to give Kevin the benefit of the doubt and express gratitude for him and all he does for our relationship and family as often as possible. It feels good to be present, patient, and enamored with Jazzy. To put effort into purposefully seeing her. To love her. To default to believing in the good in her.
It all feels good.
In this new phase of life, I want to give to and support myself in the ways that make me feel good. Not because I’m desperate and too-far depleted or exasperatingly burnt out, but because I value my experience of the world. I care about whether I’m taken care of. I care about whether my body, mind, and soul are feeling resourced, because I know—with deep experiential knowledge—that not caring for or paying attention to these things will negatively affect the lens through which I experience my everyday life.
Doing what makes me feel good has become a dagger to the dreariness of modern life. It has helped save me and combat the ever-encroaching feelings of helplessness and despair. Doing what feels good has become a ritual that reconnects me with my joy and the parts of me that recognize and appreciate my goodness. It has provided my mind, body, and soul with the nutrients they need to subsequently support me in living a life I’m proud of. One in which I’m present, appreciative, and attuned to the miracle of getting to be alive at all.
⏸ Pause
What activities and actions (ex: communicating kindly, giving people the benefit of the doubt, being patient, etc.) make you feel good?
How would incorporating these activities and actions into your life more frequently influence your overall experience of life?
You’re a blessing, my friend. Whatever happens until we meet again, I hope you can find some time to do what feels good.
With love today and every day,
L/Booch