I went for a walk this morning and put on a hat. Not really that big of a deal but I saw some wetness on the street and there was rain in the forecast. I almost didn’t put on the hat because I forgot to do it as I walked out the door. When I got onto the front porch I stopped and went back in to get the hat.
I was a little more than halfway on my walking route when it started to rain. It was a light rain, more of a heavy mist with some sprinkles mixed in. I first felt it on my arms and not my head because- you know, the hat. When it started to come down a little heavier I was excited that I was wearing my hat. At this point I had to take a little time in my head to celebrate. And there was a very specific reason to celebrate.
If it had started to rain and I didn’t have the hat on I would have spent the rest of the walk beating myself up over the fact that I forgot to put on the hat. How could I be so stupid to not put on the hat? I knew there was rain in the forecast, I saw that the street was wet, and now my head is getting wet. Why did I not spend the 10 seconds going back into the house to get the hat?
I decided to celebrate instead. I celebrated the fact that I caught myself when I walked out the door without the hat. I stopped, listened to my thoughts, and went back in for the hat. I showed that I was able to stop, listen to my thoughts, and make a good decision.
My template in the past has been to hear the thought and then just plow through it because I don’t have the 10 seconds to go back inside and get the hat. So instead of putting on the hat, I go for a walk, get rained on and beat myself up for getting wet. Today I started to adjust that template and I decided to celebrate. I want to make sure I celebrate my successes as much as I would condone myself for my shortcomings.
By the way, the rain shower lasted for less than a minute and during that one minute of rain, not one drop fell on my head.
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