Month: June 2017

Popeye’s granita

When a food reminds us of one of our strenghts

granita
Sicilian strawberry granita and freshly baked brioscia: yummy!

Sicilian granita and brioscia, sweet memories of summer holidays: I was 18 when I spent a couple summers in Sicily and enjoyed the delicious food and the amazingly welcoming people there.

Sometimes some foods remind us of special moments, when we felt at our best, when one of our strengths was at its highest, and we could use it to be and act better.

What if we continue reminding our inner selves about this special strength of us through food? Wouldn’t it be nice if we had our own version of Popeye’s spinach, and just by eating that food, or cooking it, we resume that strength and remind ourselves to use it?

For me granita and brioscia is a strong reminder of a time when I was careless, young, when the world was at my feet and I had just experienced my first flight (of sooooo many, countless by now). I still felt like that this morning, when I enjoyed one strawberry granita and a freshly baked brioscia sitting in the sun.

Create your reality

The (Alice in Wonderland) Queen’s exercise

Alice in Wonderland quote.jpg

Energy, awareness and thoughts create your reality. There is no doubt about that, and I am not talking about the mambo-jumbo “what you think will manifest” because we have all entertained thoughts at some point in out lives to win the lottery and marry Prince Charming. What I am talking about is shaping your reality by thinking the right things for you and putting our energy in them, day in and day out.

If you don’t like a movie, would you stand up and go analyze the screen to find out how you can change the characters in it and the plot? Well, unless you are delusional you won’t do it. You have a better chance at changing the movie by either pressing a button on the remote, by leaving the room or going into the projection room if you are in your imaginary movie theater, to switch the reel with another you like better.

Constantly keeping the focus on the things we want to achieve, how we want to become, setting aside criticism, and as one of my  managers used to tell me “focus, focus, focus” is a sure way to get where you want to go and be who you want to be, which doesn’t mean to “fix you”, but to use your strengths to feel better.

I personally found that removing my inner critic is the hardest thing to do so when I am caught up in that vicious circle I try the no-criticism challenge: 30 days without criticizing never ever anything. If you fall and find ourself criticizing, you start counting from day one again. Almost impossible, I know. But if you try and put your attention to welcoming the negative inner voice, offer her a tea and then let it go away, you will be happier than before the challenge I promise.

So, following the Queen’s suggestion, can you think (and therefore create) six impossible things before breakfast? It will take some exercise for sure, writing them down, reflecting on them before going to bed, journaling, creating vision boards, defining a plan to get there, removing obstacles and putting constructive energy towards the impossible…but the reward is worth the effort.

 

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