Today I was out for a run and about halfway into it I saw the rain coming in. It was clear what was going to happen. Sure enough I got absolutely soaked. Then I started getting cold, and feeling miserable. My thoughts became increasingly negative as I tuned into the aches and pains and discomfort.
But the run is done now. I finished it back at the car park and the comfort of my van. My mood lifted and happiness grew. In those moments I saw what was happening.
It could have been worse
I was being appreciative – thinking “it could have been worse right”, because the rain came down about halfway through. Running through it actually cooled me down, which I appreciated. I felt more refreshed. The rain stopped after four or five minutes and I was able to warm up again. As I did so I felt drier.
The run had been really energizing.
I know there’s a part of me that finds it easy to see something to appreciate in a situation. And I like that part of me, and over this next week I’m going to make an effort to hang out with that appreciator more.
Get to know your appreciator
Here’s a challenge then. I contend that in any situation there is something, even just 1%, to appreciate. It might not be immediately visible, but lurking there, hiding, is a 1% to appreciate.
So, for the next week, hang out with your appreciator. Listen to whay they have to say. Put your appreciator to work. Every day for the next week find and name the 1%. See what impact it has on you, what you think, and how you feel.
Of course, please let me know your thoughts.
Naming it acknowledges the possibility
Oh, and yes, I appreciate in the grand scheme of things that having a mildly tough workout is hardly a difficult situation. But for the time being I stand by my assertion that there’s always something to appreciate. The act of looking for, and naming, something that can be appreciated is perhaps enough. You might not even have to necessarily beleive it. But naming it creates an opening for possibility.
And that opening might just be enough to let some light in.
Hi Duncan
Absolutely. Is this what is known as mindset? I have a tendency to see the 1% most of the time, it feel natural and normal.
How do you relate appreciating to resilience?
Cheers
Mark
Hey Mark,
Thank you for commenting. Yes, I guess the ‘appreciator’ voice is part of a growth mindset – and it sounds like this comes to you naturally. I’m the same, mostly – of course there are times when it’s harder to access that.
And so yes, I also agree there’s a link to resilience here. For me resilience is about being able to make sounds choices, resonant choices, aligned with your core values, even when the environment, the system, is challenging, and even when we’re feeling stretched or challenged by what’s happening in our world at the time.
Cultivating the appreciator, (practising gratitude), is therefore one way to develop resilience.e