Several weeks ago my boyfriend and I caught ourselves saying, we need to be more like Miles, our French bulldog. It made us laugh. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much we’d benefit if we adopted a few of his habits. Who knew Mr. Frenchie was such a positive energy guru?
1. Do Nothing
I recently heard the phrase wild idling, which means DO NOTHING. Described by the wonderful Lianne Raymond, I immediately connected with message. Doing nothing for 5-10 minutes a day. Literally do nothing – just sit or lie down. Don’t even meditate. It might make you feel uncomfortable, frustrated, emotional or bored. Do it anyway. Resist getting back on Facebook. Shut off the TV.
A coach had me do that a few years ago, and I burst into tears. I had been using busyness to avoid feeling some of my emotions. But once that cleared I felt increased clarity and focus.
I’m not sure if Miles is receiving creative inspiration when he wild idles, but you will if you commit to doing this regularly!
2. Greet with Enthusiasm
No matter how grouchy or unapproachable I am, Miles greets me with unwavering love and affection. His tail wags. He runs to me. His eyes smile. He puts his paw on my leg. He jumps up towards me. Imagine how improved our relationships would be if we had the courage to greet others with a big, giant smile without worrying about agenda and consequences? Or, in that moment of greeting someone, we set aside our worries and to-do lists to be really present for the person we’re greeting?
By the way, nothing is more annoying than being told, just smile, when you don’t feel like it. And it won’t work if you just move your lips into a smile. BUT…your energy will shift if you smile with your eyes. You know what I’m talking about. Do a fake smile right now. Now force a smile and put your eyes into it. Feel the difference?
3. Ground Yourself
Every time Miles sees grass, he plops down, rolls over, and gives his back a massage against the grass. Then he lies there wild idling. Finally he rolls over onto his belly and paws and licks the grass. He’s grounding himself. The good news is you don’t have to scratch your back against the grass. You can simply put your bare feet on the grass.
Putting your bare feet on grass, or sand, will reset your energy through the electrical interaction between our feet and the earth. The earth will absorb excessive negative charge we have, or supply us with what we need to balance. In other words, stepping on the ground electrically balances us.
4. Be in the Present Moment
On the very rare occasion when Miles gets spoken to for doing something fresh, he’s over it seconds later. He’s moved on to the next toy, nap or feeding. His ego isn’t raging. He doesn’t try to argue. He just moves on.
Try it. The next time something doesn’t go your way, resist getting in your head and ruminating about it. Be present. Express yourself, if necessary, and move on.
Enjoy practicing some of Miles’ positive energy tricks over the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!
