The Appreciation Game

Would you like your life to get better quickly? Would you like to begin allowing everything you really want into your life?

Here's an easy, easy technique that will help, and you'll feel terrific while you do it, too.

Whenever you have the chance -- while you're driving, when you wake up in the morning, while you're taking a shower, when you're vacuuming or doing the dishes, when you're in line at the store, as you're falling asleep at night -- see how many ways you can finish the sentence, "I love ___."

Think about the big stuff and the little stuff, the permanent stuff and the fleeting moments. Anything is fair game.

For example, I love white daisies. I love Jacaranda trees. I love it when the sun breaks through the clouds. I love watching the clouds go by in the sky. 

I love the red top I wore last night. I love my comfy old cowboy boots.

I love Jody. I love Jen. I love Michelle. I love Peggy. I love my mom. I love my dad. I love my car. I love my bed. I love my showerhead. 

I love the movie "Groundhog Day." I love the movie "Blazing Saddles." I love Lynyrd Skynyrd. I love the Allman Brothers. I love AC/DC. 

I love the book "God on a Harley." I love Neale Donald Walsh's book "Home with God in a Life that Never Ends." I love listening to Abraham-Hicks CDs.

I love kitties. 

I love the mushroom appetizer at Cantinetta Piero. I love the chicken BLT with fries at Fume Bistro. I love basil. I love cilantro. I love fresh mint. I love the folks who work at Redd.

I love Venge Vineyards' Champ des Fleurs white wine. I love O'Brien's Romance of the Heart red wine.

I love the Montage hotel in Laguna Beach. I love living in Yountville.

You get the idea...

It feels so, so good to think about all these things I love and appreciate. I could go on and on and on. And I will!

One of the reasons this easy technique works to improve our lives -- and fast -- is because when we get into this delicious, wonderful-feeling state of appreciation, we're not worrying. We're not feeling sad or anxious or nervous or grumpy or angry or depressed or ashamed or guilty or frustrated or overwhelmed. 

We're feeling happy. Maybe even blissed out. And that's the feeling that allows and attracts all good things. 

But perhaps even more importantly, focusing on things you love several times a day feels great. 

Try it yourself and see! 

In fact, why not share a few of the things you love with me and other readers? Please do post a comment on this blog.

Criticism vs. Appreciation

Most of us have been trained to criticize. We look for what’s wrong. We spot the errors, the mistakes, the things that could have been better.

We even pay people to be critical. We have music critics, theater critics, movie critics, book critics, art critics, restaurant critics.

There’s just one problem with all that criticism: It feels lousy.

Being critical of others — and being critical of ourselves — is all about focusing on what we don’t like.

So, what’s the alternative?

Simple. It’s focusing on what we do like.

The opposite of criticism is appreciation.

The good news is being critical is nothing more than a habit. And it’s an easy one to break.

If you find yourself being critical and you want to feel better, all you have to do is stop and choose to be appreciative.

Instead of looking for things you don’t like — instead of looking for errors and mistakes and things that could be better — look for what you do like.

Look for things that are done well. Look for things that are thought-provoking, inspiring, clever, fun, funny, charming, cute, sexy, pleasurable, delicious, satisfying, thrilling and invigorating.

(You can see how that might feel better than looking for things that are weird, bad, icky or awful, right?!)