If we are feeling discontent, unhappy, or longing for something more, it is a wake-up call. Our emotional condition is a gauge that will provide us with important information if we allow it to do so. When we are feeling out of alignment (even when we are not certain about the source of our discord), it is a compassionate reminder of personal power that we are neglecting to utilize.

We may not be fully aware of the core of our discontent, but we do know that our thoughts precede our emotions. So, if we wish to feel better, we have the power to do so by consciously directing our thoughts. Thoughts inspire emotions and emotions influence conditions. Since our lives are subject to the laws of cause and effect, our experience today is the effect of prior thoughts, words, and actions (cause). So, it stands to reason, that we have the power in this moment to transform our future experience by (first) altering our thoughts.

The logical temptation is to conclude that our emotions are simply a response to the conditions of our lives. Using this reasoning, we are forced to await changes in our circumstances before we can feel better. When things get better, we will feel better. It certainly makes sense, but only if we wish to remain the victim of our circumstances. The truth is that we are co-creators of our experience. We have the power to alter our circumstances by changing our thoughts and the emotions that accompany them. By doing so, we free ourselves from the perceived imprisonment of our conditions by laying the groundwork for a different future. By altering the cause, we transform the effect.

This sounds like a “tall order” and it does require practice, discipline, and focus, but it is easily within our grasp. Here are some exercises to get you started. Let’s flex those muscles!

Begin with daily meditation. Take ten minutes or more daily to invite more peace into your life. If the notion seems too arduous, begin with a guided meditation (there are many resources available online and via multiple apps; find the ones that work for you). If you are able, do it twice—once in the morning and once in the evening before you retire.

Engage your gratitude. As part of your daily discipline, make a list of things/people/experiences from your day for which you are grateful. Be specific. Write them down.

Daydream. Take the time to envision your life as it will be when all of your desires have come to fruition. Feel it. Allow yourself to bathe in the emotions. When the voice of the ego in your head begins to editorialize about your foolishness, simply continue to indulge the fantasy.

Dance. Put on a song that evokes joy. Dance with abandon as if you are the greatest TikTok star. Notice how the lack of restraint produces endorphins in your body.

Laugh. Curate your entertainment. Choose comedies and things that will make you laugh. Laughter also releases endorphins.

If you engage these 5 disciplines on a daily basis, you will begin to experience a shift (first, in the way that you feel and respond to your circumstances; second, the circumstances themselves will begin to change).

Success or sabotage? Success first requires us to be in agreement that it is possible for us. Then, it demands that we be willing to do what is within our power to prepare for its arrival.

Is this going to be an incredible day? Every day arrives with a seed of possibility. We simply have to decide whether we will water, nourish and enable that seed to grow.

Life is short. If you find yourself struggling in this regard, please take the time to contact me. I can help you. It is why I am here. You owe it to yourself (and the world) to live your best life.