Have you ever stopped to think how powerful your thoughts are? What if you could transform something about your life simply by mindfully inviting change into your life? I’ve done it. It works. All you need to begin is a pad of Post-it Notes.
Background
I first realized how unhappy I was with my life 10 years before I hit rock bottom and left on my five month road trip. I started writing “I Welcome Change” on Post-it Notes at work, doodling my new mantra on paper while I negotiated deals, made my screensaver “IWC” and I stuck one Post-it Note to the gear shift in my car.
My decade old Post-It Note Mantra
Change eventually came in the form of me leaving a six year relationship. Unfortunately I focused on the wrong change. Work was actually the real problem, and because I didn’t fully embrace changing my job, I continued to spiral into a deep frustration with my life. When I hit rock bottom a full decade after first writing my Post-it Note Mantra, I knew I needed to massively change my life. This is why I decided to seek change through the U.S. roads and highways. The eve of my road trip, imagine my surprise when I reached into my junk drawer and pulled out that decade old Post-it Note that had been stuck to the gear shift of my old car. I was shocked, having no recollection of saving it. So I duct-taped it to my dashboard and that 10 year old Post-it Note became a daily guiding inspiration for me while I drove around the country seeking change in my life and shama in my heart. Massive change eventually came and I’m now living my life in an authentic and very different way than I ever have in the past. I’m finally happy again.
The Challenge
Our Post-it Note Party involved markers, Post-its and cocktails
A couple nights ago I invited a group of my friends to take a one month I Welcome Change Post-it Note Challenge. We had a Post-it Note party during what is now becoming our monthly happy hour gathering. While sipping cocktails our laughter and conversation eventually turned more serious as we contemplated what kind of change we each wanted to welcome into our life. We then wrote our Post-it Note Mantras and brainstormed different places we could put them so that we will see them each day. Next month we’ll check in with each other during our monthly happy hour to talk about whether things have started shifting in our lives as a result of putting our intentions out to the Universe in a very direct way.
I invite you to join us in a one month I Welcome Change Post-it Note Challenge. Think about what change you want to welcome into your life. I would encourage you to be more specific than I was with my initial all-encompassing I Welcome Change mantra. Examples might be “I welcome being vulnerable in love,” “I welcome running a seven minute mile,” or “I welcome patience with my kids.” My Post-it Note Mantra this time around is “I welcome rewarding work,†for the reason that I’m now looking for work that is rewarding not only financially, but also intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Write your intention on as many Post-it Notes as you want, and then stick them to places where you will notice them each day. They can be on your bathroom mirror, on the coffee-maker, on the top of your alarm clock, or even in your sock drawer. Embrace your Post-it Note Mantra for a month and see what happens.
The idea behind the I Welcome Change Post-it Note Challenge is that if we consciously welcome a change into our lives, then we will start to be more mindful of moving in this direction. We may not see change overnight, but eventually this small change in our mindsets will lead to major revelations in our lives.
Please e-mail me photos of your Post-it Note Mantras and share stories of the small ways in which you see your life shifting over the next month (keekee@seekingshama.com). Tweet your Post-it Note Mantra and use hashtag #iwelcomechange. Your experiences will inspire others!
{ 4 comments }
One of my favorite yoga instructors always invites us to take a moment and dedicate our practice to someone or something. I’m sure this practice taps that same “intended-ness” center of ourselves.
Also, when I read your abbreviation for that first post-it note, it made me think of “International Wine Center,” which as it turns out, played a big role in one of my transformations–the one from software company employee to sommelier.
You are right, it is the same message packaged in a different way. Your “IWC” is making me thirsty. 🙂
Great idea, I think you should pass this on to David Hochman he’s a big supporter of moving outside your comfort zone and the Post-it is a beacon in the night welcoming something that most people dread – Change.
Good idea – and re dreading change, I’ve found that once you get over the initial hurdle, healthy change can be addictive and exhilarating.
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