As I post this, Texas temps are plunging. The dreaded “wintery mix” is predicted. Schools have closed. Grocery store bread aisles are bare.
And I am not happy.
This hasn’t always been the case. As a child, I would go outside on winter days and stay for hours. My parents would ask if I wanted to come in, and I would turn to them with my red face and say through chattering teeth, “No, stay here.” I loved the frigid air and snow and played for hours in it.
But at some point, that changed. I don’t know when. Maybe when I went to college in Abilene, Texas. There, the icy wind sliced across the plains and right through me as I walked to class. All. Winter. Long.
Or maybe my body just started to crave warmth more than cold. I live in Texas, after all, where summer stretches from early April into October. I love warmth and even heat now. I enjoy sitting by a crackling fire, sinking into a steaming bath, curling up in a fleece blanket.
My negative reaction to winter temps makes me think: How can I dig back into my childhood and appreciate the cold?
I think it is a mindset thing. Before I step out on a January morning, I think, This is going to hurt. I hate this. I would rather be by the fireplace.
Three strategies for improving my outlook come to mind.
- Change my mindset: I will choose to think differently today. As I go out, I will notice the beauty of winter. The sparkling frost on the trees. How the snow symbolizes purity and fresh starts.
- Prepare: When I was a child, my parents made sure I was dressed warmly and prepared for chilly days. Before I go out, I will take a minute to make sure I am warm and have the items I need. (We Texans tend to misplace our gloves, hats, and scarves. Our flip-flops, however, never seem to go missing.)
- Enjoy the future: I will look forward to returning to warmth and appreciate it more. Without the cold, the coziness of a fire and blanket would not seem as amazing.
How about you? What do you dread or find unpleasant?
Next time you have to do that thing, try these steps:
- Change your mindset.
- Prepare for the task ahead.
- Enjoy what is to come.
What do you have to do today that pushes the limits of your comfort?
In order to maintain Focus, we often have to endure things we just don’t like.
Start Focusing on how to approach these tasks with positivity instead of avoiding them.
As for me, I have to go and layer up so I can embrace the beauty of winter and look forward to my warm home at the end of it.
Learn more about Adjusting Your Focus to Transforming Your life.
0 Comments