I live in a mountain town, where extreme sports and outdoor adventures are common. People will spend weeks and months getting ready for a friendly event, because they enjoy the challenge and like to be in top physical shape. I enjoy outdoor exercise and it does reenergize me to just be spending time out of doors.
I think it is important to start any exercise program recognizing that most of us are not and will not be top competitive athletes. So rather than compare our performance to the top elite competitors- what if we appreciated ourselves for where we are starting from / performing right here and now?
What if there was a competition for extreme kindness? What if you had to practice being considerate of others and kind to yourself, every day? How would you prepare for this event? How would you treat yourself if being kind to yourself was the key to success?
I define kindness as when one recognizes all the positive things in one's day and appreciates what has been accomplished. Unkindness would be to point out and focus on a mistake, disappointment, or things not done exactly right, and to repeatedly berate for all of them.
For extreme kindness week take up this challenge. Be aware of how much of your talk is positive. Can you rephrase things to first point out the positive side of any situation?
Listen to your self-talk this week and be aware of what you are saying - to yourself. How much of your talk is negative? How much of your talk is positive? Do you allow for mistakes and learn from them? Do you review mistakes over and over again, feeling worse each time you think about them?
Optimism is a key characteristic of resilient people: those people who are good at handling stressful situations. Looking for the positive aspects in self and others is a way to build up your own internal optimism. Take up the extreme kindness week challenge with a friend and see what you learn.
Amazingly when you focus on the positive aspects of your own life, you will discover more positive things in your surroundings.
