ConcentricCircle's spot

In response to the question “Do I have at least one thing that I am really looking forward to today?” ,   what kind of things should you consider?   Ideally, they should be effort-centric and not outcome-driven .   Let me explain. If you are looking forward to hitting a sub-4 pace in your run today and don’t achieve it, you’re likely to feel disappointed.   So choose things that are centred around effort rather than results. In this case, your goal should be to look forward to attempting that pace. If you hit it—great! If not, there’s always the next run to look forward to—another opportunity for joy! Similarly, choose things that depend entirely on you , not on others . For example, if you are looking forward to meeting a group of friends after work and they don’t show up, you’ll end up disappointed. That’s not the kind of thing to pin your daily happiness on.   Such things are also easier to turn into habits, as they can be incorporated into your daily routi...

Take five minutes in the morning before you get caught up in the demands of the day—demands on your time, attention and energy—and ask this question: “ Do I have at least one thing* that I am really looking forward to today ?”.   The answer doesn’t have to be anything big or significant. It can be something as simple as your workout routine (walking, cycling, gym, swimming), dropping your child off at school, a food item you’re excited to eat, a new playlist you’re going to listen to, a new idea you’re implementing at work, meeting friends later in the day, or reading a book.   It can be anything as long as it has the potential to become a habit*— if it isn’t already one.   If your answer is a “yes”, give thanks to the universe that you have something to look forward to today. If your answer is “no”, it’s fine—give thanks nevertheless, because you have the luxury of asking that question and the ability to turn that “no” to a “yes” tomorrow.   If what you are looking...

 Day 1- Satkhol Last night there was a crackling wood fire in the common room they called the Library. Until then, I had always seen a fireplace as an ornamental or architectural feature, at best used to add some quaint charm to a room.   I never dreamed I would experience it as a necessity . The cold mountain air, the wine, the high wooden ceilings with the huge skylight, the two walls fully lined with books, the plush and warm sofas, the custom made dinner, and the hearth at the centre - these were things I had only read about.   But now I am writing about them, having experienced it myself.   The warm glow of the fire, enhanced by the orange light, the stillness and quietness - we didn’t even hear any birds or crickets outside last night, because it was a freezing   -5 degree C with a slight drizzle - is a memory that I won’t forget, and it will give me comfort for a long time to come. These are small pleasures, trinkets perhaps, memories one collects to put ...