get out of yourself

Sometimes we get so focused on the changes we need to make or how we are improving ourself that we don't even realize how single-minded we have become. Sometimes we have a bad day and aren't really sure why, or maybe we do know why, and we just can't seem to shake it. Sometimes we feel in a rut.

I have a suggestion. 

Get out of yourself. Make an effort, no matter how big or small, to do something for someone else. Pay someone a compliment. Mow the neighbor's lawn. Send a thank you card. Take someone a gift. Do your kids' chores for them. It doesn't matter how big or small. I promise you that when you do it for the sale of getting out of yourself, for simply doing something out of the kindness of your heart, you WILL feel better. 

After the tragedy with the bombing at the Boston Marathon, I felt like the news was just bombarded (no pun intended) with negativity. I noticed everyone around me just generally having a hard time. People on fb were complaining of the same. I decided I'd had enough. Something needed to be done. I might not be able to change the world but maybe I could affect a small area of MY world. So I encouraged people on our fb fan page for our Etsy shop to start a pay it forward snowball. Pick a number of people to do some random act of kindness for and ask for so many people to do the same. My kids and I dropped off free product at people's homes. The thing that amazed me was how it seemed that just as I made that commitment to really do something for someone else and as I followed through with it, blessings seemed to pour out on ME. I kid you not. Today the challenge in our group was to do some random act of kindness. I determined to do it if course. What happened? I got a couple of really unexpected and super awesome notes of compliments from others- who had nothing to do with the group or my previous pay it forward efforts. Pretty awesome if you ask me. You bet I felt pretty great. Maybe I should do this more often. :)