299
Are you starting to get sick of all this lofty talk about the power you possess within you? Are you just not feeling it? Then today’s exercise was created especially for you.
There will be days when you simply don’t feel the joy. You know you should be grateful for your talents and working hard to achieve success, but you are not experiencing the happiness inside that you think you should be feeling.
The good news is that happens to everyone. It’s hard to maintain a high level of happiness all the time. Emotions dip, and you will hit times when you feel a little blah about the whole endeavor. Those low energy times can be expected, but you can control how long you wallow in them. If you are traveling along the path to success, and you fall in a mud puddle, you decide how long you are going to roll around in it before you get back up and move on.
You do not have to sit and wait for joy to show up. That could take quite a long time. Take action and coax happiness back into your life. The quote above provides one great way to do that. Sometimes joy is the source of your smile. If it’s not, then try starting with the smile. That might become the source of your joy.
When you are feeling low, practice being happy. Smile in spite of yourself. Do something nice for someone and enjoy their reaction. Complete a task you’ve been putting off for months. Find at least one positive thing to do. Joy will come if you coax it.
300
Congratulations! You made it to Day 300. Spend some time today considering your journey thus far. Are you making changes in your life? Your metamorphosis started out small, but by now you might be seeing a significant change in yourself.
Write about how you have evolved over the last three hundred days. Do you like the person you are becoming? What else needs to be done to complete the metamorphosis? Do you feel like you’re getting ready to spread your wings and take flight, or is fear still holding you on the ground?
You have come a very long way, and there are only sixty-five days left to complete this year-long journey. This milestone is a good time to remember that you are not on this road alone. Your interaction with others is what gives your life meaning. Did you block yourself off from those around you while you were hard at work achieving your dreams?
Think about ways in which you can draw people into your life and discover the joy of each other. This isn’t a solo mission. Life is so much richer when you share it with others. Have you been talking about the changes you have experienced with anyone else? Have the people who are close to you noticed a change and asked you what you’re up to? Maybe now is the time for you to begin to relate this extraordinary journey to others. Share your recent challenges and growth. You may find friends who have had similar experiences.
301
Who among us hasn’t said something we regret at some point in time? It’s a horrible feeling, isn’t it? It would be nice to install a backspace key somewhere in the mouth area, but until a brilliant mind comes up with that feature, you need to consider other effective remedies. Clean up your poorly chosen phrases, especially those that cause harm to others.
When you spout off to a coworker, a friend, a spouse, or a family member, what do you typically do next? Do you ignore your outburst? Do you pretend it didn’t happen? Do you spend the rest of the day trying to talk yourself into the rationalization that you were in the right? Or do you apologize immediately—or eventually?
People who are successful and content with their lives are often those who are quick to remedy their mistakes. It is not a sign of weakness to go back and apologize for something you said. It is a sign of self-awareness and a sign of respect to those around you.
Your assignment today is to be quick to make amends. Own up to your mistakes. If you said something mean to a coworker, go immediately back to their desk and apologize for it. It doesn’t really matter if you spoke the truth and your sin was a cruel choice of words. If you hurt someone, make it right, and don’t delay. This is not a one-day assignment. Work this pattern into your everyday life by practicing your ability to have some humility and admit to your wrongs. You will make bad word choices from time to time. A successful person finds a way to use the
