One Step to Well-Being

Last week I wrote about our super power, our ability to decide how we show up to life's impermanence. This week I want to talk about the actions we can take to use our super power and give us a sense of agency in a world that can seem completely out of control.

We can't change tragic events, epidemics, political warfare or divisive discourse. We can, however, change our ability to process and deal with the impact of these events. We can take care of ourselves physically by exercising, eating nutritious foods and getting enough sleep so we are more resilient. We can take care of our emotional selves by meditating so we can process these events with more space and clarity. We can practice daily gratitude to help us focus on what we already have. All of these impact our super power, how we show up to life.

There is one tool I especially love. It's simple, fast and it affects both your well-being and the world in one easy step! According Dr. Martin Seligman, the father of Positive Psychology, "scientists have found that doing this produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise they have tested!"

What is this magical tool? Actively practicing kindness. Dr. Seligman, describes this simple concept in his book "Flourish." Here's what you need to do: "Tomorrow, find one wholly unexpected kind thing to do and just do it. Notice what happens to your mood." Notice what happens to the person on the receiving end.

It's that easy, that simple, that powerful, to feel in control in an uncontrollable world. I hope you will adopt this tool, share it with friends and family and together we can increase everyone's well-being, one act of kindness at a time.