11/11. The ones of today’s date seem to create gates.
- Wouldn’t it be nice if we could step through a gateway to an easier, more joyful life with our children?
- Wouldn’t it be nice if today were the day to take this step?
Reaching for “A Little Better”
Esther and Jerry Hicks created an Emotional Guidance Scale that helps us move from feeling bad to feeling better about whatever we are experiencing.
In looking at the chart, most of us yearn to be at the top, in the purple zone. Even the blue and green areas look good. We want to feel hopeful and happy and to appreciate our children and our lives. However, if we are currently in the gray or burgundy zones of guilt or grief or despair, the leap to joy seems inconceivable.
Instead of aiming for giant leaps, it is usually easiest and most productive to move through one gateway at a time. Sometimes, we simply step through. At other times, we must knock and a door will open. Once in a while, we need a battering ram.
Wouldn’t It Be Nice?
- In the midst of a tantrum, consider finding something good. “My child is safe. I am staying calm and looking for a good way to handle this moment.”
- When you child struggles to communicate, consider, “We have wonderful speech therapists. Look how she tries to show me what she wants!”
- As your child insists on the thousandth meal of the same food, think, “It is so easy to feed him. I know what he wants.”
Celebrate Success, Celebrate Yourself and Your Child
Every step is one that brings you closer to the Joy Zone. Anger and rage may not, by conventional standards, seem like a good thing. But anger and rage let you know that your do not feel powerless. You are moving closer to hopefulness and joy.
Tools for the Journey
Next time you see 11:11 on the clock, take a deep breath and think of one thing that feels good about that moment. Every good feeling that you focus on will bring you closer to more experiences that feel good.
