One bite of an elephant at a time…that’s how you change. Most people can do almost anything for a day. I’ve been focusing on one thing each day to help me change for the better. My idea was to get them ingrained in my brain so they would crowd out some garbage and become habits. I’ve read that we have about 50,000 – 70,000 thoughts a day so, obviously, this was going to be a task. But the mind has to get in shape just like the body, so this is a good start.

Day 1 – Think about what you’re thinking about.

Day 2 – Do not say anything negative or critical…this includes gossip. There’s a really simple rule to see if you should say something or not. Would you say it to that person’s face?  If not, then don’t say it.  Also, don’t make any excuses.

Day 3 – Say a prayer for everyone you speak with (and anyone you want to). After each prayer, say thank for something you are truly grateful for.

Day 4 – SLOW DOWN and focus on being CALM. If you can feel the vibration, then you’re calm. LISTEN intently and give UNDIVIDED attention to people you engage with. Stop what you’re doing and really listen. Do not think about what you’re going to say while the other person is talking. Put down your smartphone. Key point–active listening is a skill.

Day 5 – When someone is telling you something about themselves, look for something similar, not different. Remember, there are very few things anyone has ever done that you haven’t either done or thought of doing to a greater or lesser degree.

Day 6 – Focus on what you say and don’t say anything that’s “loaded.” By this, I mean passive-aggressiveness or whatever. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Day 7 – Stay present and look for ways God is trying to communicate with you. How will you know? It will be loving and almost ineffable. It will be personal and only you would “get it.” If you did try to explain it, it wouldn’t make sense to anyone except you and would probably sound a bit wacky.

I did write these in a particular order. I wrote them as a starting point for better thinking. Obviously, they’re to use more than just one day and you may want to stay on some of them for several days. You’ll find that you end up combining them which is good. It will be messy just like your journey–gray and messy and beautiful.

Good Luck!