Feeling Good as a Radical Success Skill
How to unlock your personal North Star
What if…you allowed yourself to FEEL GOOD? Right now. Before the next sentence. Give it a try.
You probably had to do something: relax your breath, shift your body, think a pleasant thought. Then, when that good feeling flitted through you, it brought a wave of biochemicals and neurotransmitters that benefitted you in several ways, even if you didn’t notice. Feeling good:
- Ignites a broaden-and-build effect that engages the brain in creativity and problem-solving;
- Floods the body with hormones and other neurotransmitters that help us heal and connect to others;
- Triggers positive responses and behaviors in others, initiating a ripple effect carried by positive hormones and mirror neurons. When you feel good, others benefit.
And so the formula goes: Decide to feel good (choice) + Do something to feel good (action) = Life gets better (result).
Defining “Feeling Good”
But feeling good is complicated! Some of our choices make us feel good in the moment but exact a price in the long run (example: ice cream). Some of our choices feel good one way, but not another (example: exercise). Feeling good as a skill for growth and guidance begins with developing a keen awareness of what lifts us up, strengthens us, and raises our vibration.
Feeling good in a healthy way refers to experiencing positive emotions, satisfaction, and contentment in a manner that is beneficial and balanced for your overall well-being. It involves cultivating positive emotions and engaging in behaviors that promote physical, mental, and emotional health without relying on harmful or unsustainable practices. Here are 8 key aspects of feeling good in a healthy way:
1. Positive Emotions: Feeling good in a healthy way involves experiencing positive emotions like happiness, joy, gratitude, and love. These emotions contribute to overall well-being and can have positive effects on both mental and physical health.
2. Self-care: Taking care of your physical health through regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep can significantly impact your mood and energy levels.
3. Positive Relationships: Nurturing positive relationships and social connections with friends, family, and the community can contribute to a sense of belonging and emotional support, leading to increased feelings of well-being.
4. Mindfulness and Gratitude: Practicing mindfulness and gratitude can help you focus on the present moment and appreciate the positive aspects of life. This can lead to reduced stress and greater contentment.
5. Pursuing Meaningful Goals: Setting and working towards meaningful goals can provide a sense of purpose and accomplishment, contributing to feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction.
6. Setting Boundaries: Feeling good in a healthy way also involve knowing when to set boundaries to protect your well-being. This includes saying no to activities or relationships that may be detrimental to your health and happiness.
7. Avoiding Harmful Habits: Seeking temporary relief from negative emotions through harmful habits like substance abuse, excessive drinking, or excessive indulgence in unhealthy behaviors may provide a short-term escape but can lead to long-term negative consequences. Feeling good in a healthy way means finding healthier coping mechanisms and stress management strategies.
8. Seeking Help When Needed: Recognizing when you may need professional help for mental health issues is crucial. Seeking support from coaches, therapists or counselors can aid in developing healthy coping mechanisms and emotional resilience.
Feeling good is about creating a balanced and fulfilling life that supports your well-being for the long run.
Feeling Good as a Way of Life
Noticing what feels good to you is like locking in on your personal North Star to guide you on your journey to becoming your best self. It’s as if a secret map to your most fulfilling life was implanted within you, and signposts appear in the form of what feels good. Following what feels good in a healthy way tilts your experience toward the positive in various aspects of life. In addition to the benefit of simply feeling good, the basic practice of tuning into the positive improves your quality of life in specific ways:
- Improved Mental and Emotional Well-being occurs as you become better equipped to cope with stress and adversity, reduce feelings of anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions, and increase resilience.
- Enhanced Physical Health results from lowering levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, which can lead to reduced inflammation, improved immune function, and a healthier cardiovascular system, as well as all the benefits of healthier behaviors, such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, and better sleep.
- Increased Productivity and Success come when you’re more likely to stay motivated, focused, and persistent on tasks that feel good, and your growth-oriented mentality encourages continuous learning and development which can lead to increased opportunities and success in various areas of life.
Overall, feeling good can create a virtuous cycle—the Upward Spiral!—where improved mental and emotional well-being positively affects physical health, productivity, and success, creating a happier and more fulfilling life. It’s important to note that following what feels good in a healthy way takes commitment, practice and effort, but the benefits make it a worthwhile endeavor.
Ask Yourself
When you look at your day ahead, what would feel good?
Frequently throughout the day, stop, check-in with yourself, and ask: what would feel good now?
At the end of the day, review which activities felt good to you, and build on them tomorrow.
Dare to inch the feel-good bar upward with the choices you make to (for example) wear comfortable clothes to work, take your laptop to the coffee shop, sit with your child on a park bench. The spark of creativity that results, or the serendipitous connection, or the reinforcement of your deepest values, leads you like a breadcrumb trail back to yourself, one feel-good moment after another.
Begin with this radical question: How good are you willing to feel?
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Whole-being well-being expert, Liz Garrett, translates scientific and metaphysical principles into PRACTICAL APPLICATION leaders use to change their lives, their relationships, their work and, ultimately, the world.
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