Soul Group: 30-Day Do It Different Celebration
Join this 30-day celebration to turn your world upside down! Lol! No, nothing that drastic, but we are going to do small little experiments that add up over time to big shifts. They’ll help you let go of limiting thought patterns, discover new opportunities, and welcome more ease and expansion in your life.
While the “Do It Different” daily experiments may seem silly or inconsequential, they’re like magic fairy dust (each little change is a speck of potent force) to shift repetitive thought patterns and open up a world of new opportunities of growth and expansion in your life.
That’s the power of doing small things differently! It hijacks your mind so that it’s too busy noticing the differences to put up resistance. You also create new ways of thinking, which welcome new ways of thinking. And that’s how little changes lead to big shifts!
Come join the fun and see what unfolds when you do things differently. I’ll be posting a new “experiment” every day!
Please share your ideas for what you’re doing differently. Share your aha moments, and share your discoveries in the weeks ahead. Let’s learn and be inspired by each other!
Share your first comment to get started. It can be as simple as “I’m going to take a different route home today!”
This celebration has reached its amazing celebratory end! Comments are now closed, but you can learn about future celebrations and connect in our Celebrate Pets, Animals & Nature Soul Group.
Congrats you’re here on Day 31 of our 30-day Do It Different celebration! Doing it differently by ending on day 31!
Think back to every different thought or activity you’ve tried out these past few weeks. Today, choose your favorite. It may be the one that was most unsettling for your mind. It may be the one that was the most fun.
We don’t have to do everything differently all the time, so when you find a “do it different” activity that has meaning for you, you can do it again!
Thanks for joining the celebration. You’re awesome!
I really enjoyed this celebration and am looking forward to the next one! On the subject of celebrations I was looking up an answer in the Q+A Tea Time index -that is so awesome I want to mention 🙂 and you mentioned something about maybe having a mindfulness eating celebration in one of your answers. I don’t remember if we ever did one or not, but it’s inspired me to do my own mindfulness eating celebration for dinner tonight and hopefully for at least a few days after that.
Thanks for starting the Do It Differently challenge. I now spend more time thinking about how to do something differently, and perhaps more enjoyably!
You’re very welcome Deb. That’s wonderful!!! Yay!
Day 30, the day before Day 31, to end this experimental 30-day celebration differently. Your second last experiment is an invitation to encourage yourself every day. Go find a packaged item you use every day (e.g. toothpaste, tea, rice, shampoo bottle, etc.), take a marker and write something encouraging on it.
For example, there’s this loose leaf tea blend that I drink called, “Waynard Chai.” It comes in a generic pouch, so I wrote the name of tea on the outside. But then I thought, Instead of writing, “Waynard,” I could write, “Way to go Holly!”
Now every time I reach for the tea, I have a word of encouragement for myself. You deserve words of encouragement too. It takes 10 seconds to do, and you’ll see it every day! Go do it now!!!
Heading into the homestretch with Day 29. Sole Circle member, Shell, shared a few days ago about allowing herself to daydream with the freedom she had as a child and not think about, “whether it’s attainable or not.”
I thought this was so beautiful, so let’s daydream together today. When you allow yourself to daydream about what you want, sometimes you surprise yourself because the stars align to bring you what you want.
For example, when I first moved to California, I was shocked about how high home prices were. I thought it was impossible to ever own a home. But then the financial crisis of 2008 caused home values to plummet by 20%. Then I discovered, you could get a home with only a 10% downpayment (assumed it was 20% like it was in Canada).
And Zunaid and I found the perfect starter townhouse, where our son and Furball (beloved cat now in kitty heaven) created a wonderful home.
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ever realized that there are so many ways to PLAY with typing out text.Since it’s the WEEKEND, do something pLaYfUL today. Something that is out of the ordinary. Hey, here’s a thought:
DAY 27: This spontaneously declared Do It Different 30-Day Celebration has certainly discombobulated me! Lol! That’s how doing things differently helps your mind shift so that you can change ingrained ways of thinking. Your mind becomes so occupied with observing what’s different that it opens up space to make positive changes.
We’re going to continue the experiments PAST the end of April to include May 1st! Woohoo! Then you can start next month off differently too!
A few years ago I strained one of my oblique muscles and from time to time if I sit or sleep really awkwardly then it’ll be sore the next day. I must have slept awkwardly Friday night and woke up Saturday morning in some pain. My first thought was I’ll just wait to see how it goes today and if it still hurts tonight I’ll put one of those heat patches on. Even though we have plenty of those heat patches and this was the day my husband and I were planning to plant 35 little bush saplings in our backyard. Then I thought more about this and I was like “why am I going to make myself wait all day and be in pain while we’re planting all these bushes? We have plenty of patches so I’m going to use one!” And I did, and by the end of the day my obliques were feeling much better and I was proud of myself for thinking differently about this 🙂
for a different perspective on where things might be going – read ‘Clean Disruption of Energy and Transportation’ by Tony Seba.
Enjoy your weekend differently
I think I may have seen one of his talks on YouTube or read a few articles featuring his ideas, but I didn’t know he had a book out! He makes great points about energy disruption. The economics make clean energy inevitable. Very encouraging! Jim, do you read cleantechnica.com?
I love this! Let me enjoy our weekend differently! Currently thinking what we can do besides the usual staying at home and lounging about haha. Sometimes it’s just too tiring to bring out an energetic toddler. But I guess I can do it differently this time and let her go out to a weekend street market 🙂
Have fun! Kids love exploring, and they also help us parents explore too!
my different yesterday was to get the bacon specially cut thicker…
Let me know if it was tastier! One of my different things was learning how to say bacon in Cantonese. The two Chinese characters for bacon literally translate as “smoke meat.”
Ohhh, I love that way of doing things differently! It gave me an idea – I’ll have a more-than-usual portion of a treat for myself today! Thanks for sharing!
Day 26: Earth Day was last Monday. Sometimes the fate of the world feels like the weight of the world. But to manifest the world we want, we need to envision it first.
What “facts” or “observations” have you made in the past that don’t match the vision of what you want the world to be? In order for things to change, the first step is thinking differently.
For example, “People care about convenience more than plastic pollution.”
Add this to your thoughts, “but things are changing” OR “people can change” OR “things can change quickly.”
This softens your thinking so that you contribute your energy to helping make these changes happen.
On DAY 25, it’s another “think it different” experiment. Here’s a question to ponder: What have you never thought of wanting before in your life, and you might you actually want it?
E.g. Make it on American Idol? Climb the tallest mountain in the world? Win groceries for a year? Have a sandwich named after you?
Bluesy it! And after you think of something, think of some more. At the end of the day, take stock of what you considered, and consider how you might welcome elements of your wants and desires into your life.
E.g. Start singing. Go hiking or research what is the tallest mountain in the world. Enter a contest. Make your ultimate sandwich, or visit a local sandwich shop and start talking to the owner (maybe one day, you’ll become best friends and they’ll name a sandwich after you!).
This made me think.. I usually don’t daydream anymore as much as I used to when I was a kid. I think to myself, What’s the use of wanting something that I cannot have? I’d rather reserve my thoughts and energy and put them on things that can be attained. It’s really more logical this way. But then, I think I can do it differently just for a day and let myself ponder on things that I may actually want, whether it’s attainable or not! Thanks for giving me this thought! 🙂
Ooh, I love this! What an amazing thought and great idea for another Do It Different experiment!
Hallo! That’s German for Hello. Today’s experiment is to use a different greeting than you normally would. Howdy, a Seinfeld Helloooooo, Yo yo, Whaddap, etc. Bonus points if you’ve never used this greeting before in your life!
This sounds fun! I can do this with my daughter and at the same time teaching her more about our native language 🙂 I’ll ask her to say Magandang Araw! It’s not exactly hello but more of good day. 🙂
DAY 23 EXPERIMENT: Over the past three weeks, you’ve disrupted routines & experimented with thinking differently. Yesterday’s experiment was to time travel and pretend you were your future self traveling back intimate to impart wisdom to your current self about something you’ve been worrying about.
Imagine you’re your future self 5 years from today traveling back in time to share wonderful news with you about where your life will be in 5 years. What do you share with yourself?
When I first read this experiment I had trouble with it because I was focusing on the more physical aspects of life in 5 years. Like where will I be working? What will I be doing? Where will I be living? Things like that, and that was hard to visualize because sometimes those things can be hard to predict. It took a while before I realized that it was easier for me to think about it in more woo woo terms like how will I be feeling emotionally and spiritually, and sharing news like that with my current self. More like focusing less on the outer and more on the inner circumstances.
When I do this I keep thinking that I’d tell my current self that everything is going to be okay. That I can relax and chill out about things and that it will all work out. It would feel very peaceful. How it’s not worth the stress, especially about things that I have no control over. This has got me thinking back to times in my childhood and early adult hood and things i remember worrying about then and comparing to how things worked out and how all that worry and all that stress really didn’t help. I think back to how I was always worried about my Dad’s health (my Mom died when I was 10) and I spent decades worrying about him. He outlived a couple of wives and a few subsequent girlfriends. When he did die a couple of years ago at 91 (and he was ready to go at that point), I remember thinking that at all that time spent worrying about this in the end still didn’t really help prepare me for this. It’s like all that anticipatory anxiety really doesn’t help me and now I’m trying to train my mind by remembering that I don’t have to think these thoughts anymore. I can think new thoughts. or at least I can think what other people who can think new thoughts would be thinking 🙂
I’m so sorry for your loss. My Dad passed the same year, and it always feels like a loss. He was also ready to go at that time.
I love and appreciate you sharing your amazing and vulnerable insights. Absolutely, you can think new thoughts and think what other people who can think new thoughts would be thinking. I think just thinking that last phrase created new thinking in my brain! 🙂
Welcome to Day 21. Today is a day of reflection. Look back over the past few weeks, and take note of changes. Have you noticed any shifts in your thinking? Have you tried things that you would not normally have tried? Or have you been considering things differently than in the past?
I definitely have noticed some shifts in my thinking since we started this. I’m more willing (able?) at times to step back and think that “I don’t have to think these thoughts” about something. “I can think other thoughts” and I’ve noticed that even if I can’t think other thoughts completely I can think “okay if I was someone who could think other thoughts what would I think” and that really helps. It’s almost like cheating somehow but in a good way 🙂
Woohoo! Celebrating your shifts in thinking!
Totally cheating!!!! And I 100% agree it’s a good way to cheat 🙂
A NEW WAY TO RELAX AND HAVE FUN! Now that the axes have got your attention, allow me to explain your weekend experiment for Day 20. Explore potential new leisure activities. You may be ready to just do it today! Or you can also research for activities you might want to try. Sky’s the limit.
I discovered a new axe throwing place opened up near me. It’s the perfect activity for my family to do together!
That sounds intriguing!
Gak! I’ve never even heard of that kind of sport/game! Sounds fun and terrifying at the same time LOL. I’d like to bring my hubby there when we are having some bickering. Maybe that could settle things. LOL!! But seriously, it’s the 1st time I’ve heard of it. I already have enough hobbies for now that my time can allow. But.. because I’m opening myself to doing things differently.. I’ll think of something to do differently in my current hobby!!
https://badaxethrowing.com/
I love vitamins and supplements. In a very happy past life, I was a Chinese herbalist with a shop right on a canal. I used to stick with the same vitamin brand, but recently started branching out. As you may know, some brands are better quality than others. Now I’m connecting with the Universe asking about the quality (healthful/harmful) and then make my purchase or not. It was a big step for me, but I’m so glad I overcame that hurdle.
Woohoo! Celebrating overcoming hurdles and taking a big step forward! You’re amazing Deb!
I love hearing about your past life as a Chinese herbalist too. That explains your passion for Chinese Medicine.
Did you know I was a warlord in a past life? When my friend told me this, I KNEW it was true. It explains my fascination with martial arts and why I regularly win when playing strategy games.
I chose to reincarnate as a small Asian woman because it was the least physically threatening physical body possible, which helps tamp the warlord’s fire. It was also a check for myself so that I wouldn’t have the temptation to use my physical presence to move though life like a bull in a china shop.
Your mission on Day 19 is to be on the lookout! On the lookout for changing one product that you use all the time, maybe you’ve even been using it for years. You do NOT have to switch today or buy something new.
Just look at what you use regularly, and consider whether you could try a different one.
A friend told me recently how she bought an electric toothbrush because it was on sale. She used electric toothbrushes before, but the new one she bought was “life-changing” and that she could no longer brush without it. She ENJOYED using it that much! If it hadn’t been on sale, she would never have purchased it. If she never had purchased it, she wouldn’t have elevated the experience of brushing her teeth.
Her eyes were shining when she told me about the toothbrush! Joy can be big moments in our lives, but joy can also be created in our everyday routines.
Maybe there’s something you use regularly that has a new and improved version, but you won’t know until you consider making a switch.
I’ve got to agree with your friend about the electric toothbrush. My husband bought some for us about a year ago and it is life changing. I haven’t used a manual tooth brush since then. I’ll have to consider what other different things I can try next.
This challenge kind of reminds me of an experience I’ve had with foods that I thought I didn’t like since I didn’t like them as a child. Things like sweet potatoes, watermelon and cantaloupe. I tried sweet potatoes again a few years ago and discovered I really like them now. That led me to try watermelon and cantaloupe and it turns out I like them now too! I’ve done this with a few other foods and verified that I still don’t like those but over all I’ve gained some new food favorites that I never would have thought I’d like now.
CELEBRATING DAY 18! We’re going undercover today with one more day of experimenting with changing your thinking. Today, pretend you’re an actor/actress and you are getting into character. Pick a trait from the word cloud that you’d like to embrace more. If none of the words resonate with you, choose your own!
Then throughout your day, when you are making choices or noticing your thoughts, ask yourself, “If I were this character who embraces [word], what would I think and what would I do?”
Empowered! There is a few hours left today so I will stick it out till bedtime!
can you please do something different with the butterfly? yellow looks good on a screen but is a difficult colour elsewhere.
the display is great
I’m going to save a copy of this image and once our 30 celebration is over I’m going to choose a word occasionally and do this exercise again and again.
Celebrating D A Y 1 7 ! Continuing the experiment of thinking rather than doing, today is an invitation to think differently about something. Focus on limiting thoughts and replace them with more expansive ones.
I still catch myself thinking about how 2019 to 2023 were very draining years due to deaths in the family and other challenging situations. I think, “I still feel the effects of that period where my energy levels are not as high as they should be.” Today, I’m going to replace that thought with, “My energy levels are high.”
With manifesting (or healing), your words, and subsequently your thoughts are very powerful. If the more positive thought makes your brain scream, “That’s not true,” then ease back a bit on the positivity of the thought to make it more believable for your brain. Keep stepping back until it’s just a small stretch to believe it’s true.
E.g. My energy levels are good.
My energy levels are better than average.
My energy levels are increasing.
I’m doing things to increase my energy levels.
My energy levels are okay.
Etc.
To leave on a high note, “My energy levels are high!!!”
I’ve noticed myself doing this the last few days. I’ll think those same familiar thought patterns, then I’ll catch myself doing this and tell myself that I don’t always have to think this way. I can choose to think differently. I’ve noticed that I’m okay with telling myself this, but when it comes to actually thinking differently (like your “my energy levels are high example”) it’s like I can feel my brain or state of consciousness or old though patterns or something fighting back. It was interesting and kind of odd trying to observe myself doing this yesterday – like I could actually “see” the competing thoughts about “I don’t have to think this way” vs. “Yes you do. You’ve thought like this for a while so you need to keep doing this”.
Wow, those are really amazing insights into yourself. Try this: “Okay, but if I were someone who could think differently, what would I think?” You acknowledge the old thought with the “okay,” and then consider a possibility without committing to it. However, you’ll still be thinking the positive thought! It’s a little sleight of the mind 🙂
ooh I like this idea. I’m going to have to try this out. For some reason it just seems easier to think of doing this as someone else. Like my mind has much less resistance to someone else doing this than to me doing this.
It feels fun when you’re “pretending” to pretend. 🙂
Celebrating DAY 16 of doing things differently!
We’re going to continue yesterday’s experiment, so today is also about thinking rather than doing.
Yesterday, when you caught yourself thinking something, even if it was an “observation” that you made, the experiment was to say to yourself, “I don’t always have to think this way.”
Today, change that thought to, “I CAN CHOOSE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THIS.”
For example, I was thinking yesterday, “It’s still cold and windy. If I go outside, I am more likely to catch a cold because of the TCM perspective on wind and cold invading the body.”
When I noticed this thought, I decided, “I don’t always have to think this way. I can choose to think differently about this.”
Then I thought, “My body is strong and has a strong immune system, so I can go outside and stay healthy.”
Spoiler alert: That’s what tomorrow’s experiment will be, thinking differently about something :). You may find yourself doing that today too. Hurray!
Here’s DAY 15’s experiment:
Today is about thinking rather than doing. I read somewhere that apparently something like 90%+ of the thoughts we have today are the same as yesterday.
When you catch yourself thinking something, even if it’s an “observation” that you are making, say to yourself, “I don’t always have to think this way.”
For example, it’s been freezing here lately, and I’ve always thought, “It’s too cold to go outside.” Instead of going outside to prove/disprove my thoughts, all I’m going to do is think, “I don’t always have to think this way.”
That’s it. Easy peasy!
If it’s too easy, try making it your mantra for the whole day when you notice your thoughts.
It’s amazing noticing how the same thoughts come up again and again. I like the idea that I don’t always have to think this way and that I can choose to think differently.
One thing I’m noticing as a result of this whole celebration and thinking differently from time to time is that I now when I put on or take off a shirt I’m putting both arms in or taking both arms out at the same time. Before I’d always do one arm first and at this point I’m not even sure which one I’d do first. The next time I put on a shirt with buttons or a jacket with a zipper I’ll have to pay attention to which arm I do first.
Something different – my best friend from New York is in town and we went to the Sphere. WOW. Amazing what they can do with technology! They have AI robots which were really cool too!
Sounds like fun! What’s the Sphere?
Been out of town, but now I’m ready for the sole group do it different challenge. While I was gone, I did a few things differently like counting backwards during reflexology which kept my mind more focused; brushed my teeth with my non-dominant hand and have continued with it because of the good results; bought different types of dental floss which I enjoyed more than expected; went to a new park, played/chased with my grandkids, and watched the eclipse & totality. Yesterday, I watched David Wei’s breathing class at Stanford and now I’m breathing with more intention and focus. Today is a day of rest and fun. I deserve it!
I like the idea of counting backwards during reflexology. I’m going to have to try that since sometimes my mind starts to wander.
Hi Deb! That’s awesome to hear what you’ve been doing things differently. I love the counting backwards idea, and I love that you enjoyed your new dental floss!!! I’m going to have to try counting backwards, and maybe it is time to try a new dental floss. Thanks for sharing.
And congratulations! By clicking the + sign, you already did something different today! Woohoo!
today for something different I did not do much around the yard. I still had tea with butcherbirds and magpies plus my morning routine BUT after that ZILCH…
That’s great Jim! You always seem so busy working at your job or working on projects. Enjoy your ZILCH time 🙂
Coming around full circle again to the previous 30-day celebration. Here’s something new, I’m reusing something old, the image from Day 13 of the 30-day name that tune qi gong celebration.
But there’s a purpose! Since it’s the weekend, chill out and relax. Listen to some tunes. The catch is to listen to something you would normally not choose to listen to. For me, that would be country music (apologies to the country music fans).
Some ideas: today’s pop music, drum and bass, heavy metal, classical, funk, punk, K-pop, rap, house, samba, Brazilian rock, etc. So many genres to choose from, and if you Google it, you’ll find YouTube videos playing it! If you have a music app, they’ll point you in the direction of songs, playlists, stations, and more!
On day 12, the difference is that there’s no set experiment for today. It’s carte blanche! Choose whatever you want to do differently. It can be a small thing, or you could be embarking on something brand new.
Today, I tried to use an ascii image conversion tool to take a picture and make it look like it was typed out with letters. That didn’t turn out (“picture” below this text), but it was fun to try.
I’m going to take the rest of the day off since I was working pretty hard at the start of the week, and also did some tasks last weekend. It’s so rare for me to take a Friday off.
But because I am now thinking differently, I decided to try a different way to download the file, and here it is:
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This made me realize that the problem with what I was seeing was due to the width of this comment box causing the text to wrap. So I saw I could make use fewer characters per row.
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LOL! Guess it must be the font used in this comment box too. If you want to give it a try, here’s the link: https://www.asciiart.eu/image-to-ascii
Sorry I have been away the past week, but, coincidentally, I had decided to start brushing my teeth with my opposite hand prior to you posting Day 5’s challenge and also because I knew I would not be able to log on to see what your suggestions were! I found I was actually getting into all the nooks and crannies much better actually than normal, even a few areas I might miss probably due to the concentration involved compared to my normal regular routine! I still automatically use my dominant hand, but will actually switch more often now on as I think it will benefit my oral hygiene as much as my brain!
Interesting observations, and thank you for participating even before checking in with the group!
I find that I’m simultaneously better and worse at brushing with the other hand. Better because of the observations you’ve noted, and worse because my left hand lacks the dexterity. I agree 100% with you that the concentration helps us brush better and areas that we normally miss.
Celebrating cleaner teeth!
Day 11! We’re doing something different by doing something the same. Since Sole Circle members are humble and generous, I’m betting that yesterday’s experiment of showering yourself with compliments was not an easy task to follow through on. I started in the morning, and then promptly forgot.
So once again, read this to yourself:
Today’s experiment is to compliment yourself ALL DAY LONG, and be really effervescent about it!
Love that word effervescent! Given me goose bubbly bumps already
You’re such a word nerd! And I say that with the highest compliments as a fellow word nerd 🙂
Read this to yourself:
Soo..today’s experiment is to compliment yourself ALL DAY LONG.
I like today’s experiment! One thing I noticed the other day is that I can sense some subconscious guilt creeping in at times. Yesterday something happened that I’d normally worry about but then I reminded myself that I don’t have to worry about this. But then I felt the feeling of guilt like I don’t deserve to not worry about this. Which was interested that I noticed this feeling and I went back and forth a few times with it, but I considered it a victory to even be noticing this in the first place.
That’s great you are noticing the guilt.
I feel guilt over buying things. E.g. Here’s what runs through my mind: “I have a perfectly fine sweater that is faded and 10 years old, but it doesn’t have holes in it. And I can refresh it with a lint shaver even though it’s a little stretched out, and is a little too big for me. And even if it did get a hole in it, I could mend it, so there’s no need to use up more of Earth’s precious resources or contribute to my carbon footprint by getting a new sweater that is bright and cheery, fits well, and says to other popped (who judge by appearance) that I value myself.”
I have been retraining my thinking to: “I deserve to buy the things I need to thrive. If it uplifts my spirit, it helps me uplift others. The resources I use are more than offset by the good I bring into the world.”
It’s a work in progress! 🙂
Maybe you can come up with some affirmations to counter the guilt.
That’s great that you’re retraining your thinking for this. It’s interesting how different things trigger guilt in different people. I like the idea of coming up with an affirmation for this. Something for me to think about.
I was thinking about this more last night and I realized that behind the guilt is a fear that I don’t deserve this/I’m not worthy of just relaxing and not worrying. You’re right about us deserving things since it’ll uplift us which in turn will help us uplift others and the world and we all here seem to really want to help others. I’m trying to retrain my thoughts to think that “I deserve my best life now”. When we were kids we were always told about some point in the future – when we graduate high school, college, get a job, get a house, get married, kids, etc. and it’s always about striving for some point in the future. The whole “I can be happy, relax, enjoy myself, buy things for myself, etc.” at some mythical point in the future. But then we never seem to arrive there. Even in our 50s it’s like we’ve been doing this for decades but still thinking like this. It’s time to start enjoying our best live now 🙂
I LOVE the “now” in your statement. I have the “put off until the future” thinking too.
I deserve to have NOW what I need to thrive NOW.
Today’s celebration experiment is to change your route home. Go in reverse, take a detour, try a different mode of transportation. Let your mind be creative as to how you can change your route and make it different. Then when you arrive home, celebrate as soon as you close the front door.
So I tried brushing my teeth with my left hand – have to say my teeth did not get brushed very well :)) Also started David’s spring meridian class this weekend. I realized that he incorporated a lot of Dao Gong into that class! I didn’t know that!
Lol! Yeah, I wouldn’t recommend brushing all the time with the other hand. I find even if I switch the order that I brush, I’m not as efficient. Funny how as an adult, it’s all about efficiency and optimizing.
howdy! here we are at day 8!
today’s experiment is to go somewhere you have never been before. you don’t need to do it today, but plan it out for sometime this week. it could be somewhere far away, but I’d recommend somewhere close by that you walk past all the time, but have never gone inside.
some suggestions:
let us know where you go!
during these “different” weeks, i’ve been to a local thrift shop and a used bookstore. i had pre-judgments of what each would be, expecting meh. the thrift shop was worse than expected and the bookstore was an unexpected delight.
Yay Yay It’s Day Seven!
Today’s experiment is to look at yourself differently when you’re doing a task that you normally do on autopilot. E.g. take out the trash, comb your hair, sit down on a chair.
You are tasked with being an artist, having to observe this person that you are going to paint. Or perhaps you are the Professor of this task and need to teach an outer-space alien how to do it, so you need to observe the steps involved. Let your imagination run wild.
And really look at what you’re doing.
As I mentioned yesterday, I floss my teeth the same way every time. It’s such a habit that when I was observing it the first time, I observed it incorrectly. Turns out I floss the LEFT side of my teeth first, not the right. It took me another try at flossing differently to realize this.
I haven’t done today’s task yet but I have to say that I’m really enjoying this celebration. This might be my favorite one yet – no disrespect to all of our previous celebrations 🙂
So happy you’re enjoying this celebration!
!6 yaD ot emocleW
Today’s experiment is to write “sdrawkcab gnihtemos”. It takes an uncanny amount of concentration. Lol!
If you tried yesterday’s experiment, let me know how it went in the comments below! As I shared with Sunnie, I’ve tried brushing in a different order and also using the opposite hand, so I decided to try doing it differently differently. What I came up with was flossing the different side of my teeth than usual.
I discovered that I always floss the left side of my tooth before the right, so I reversed this. Who knew in 40+ years of flossing that I always floss the same side of a tooth first? I didn’t floss as a kid because it was the 1970s and nobody told kids to floss back then! 🙂
It was weird to floss the right side first, but I had an aha moment!
Doing things differently puts you in the moment. You are fully present in the moment as you do something differently. I was so focused on my teeth and flossing that I wasn’t distracted or thinking about anything other than flossing. Cool!
I don’t know what this says about how my brain works but oddly enough gnikcab qnitirw doesn’t seem that hard when I’m actually writing it on paper, but trying to type it out on a computer seems much harder. Maybe because when I’m writing it on paper I start at the right edge of the page and work my way towards the left, but when typing you can’t really do that. And it’s a significant difference it how it feels for me using pen and paper versus typing.
I noticed the same thing. Backwards on paper is not too bad. But the computer!!!! I was about to type that backwards, but decided it was too much krow. Autocorrect doesn’t help either! Lol!
I tried this on the weekend but just copied the letters. I didn’t realize that they were words spelled backwards!! lol So I tried writing my name backwards. And then I tried writing “something backwards” You’re right – it does take an amazing amount of concentration!
Welcome to Day 5. Today’s experiment was inevitable. Instead of writing out instructions, I will do something different 😉 and ask you to extrapolate what the experiment is based on this picture. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Please let me know in the comments what you end up doing differently. There’s no wrong or right here. I’m curious to see how far some students might take this! Muhwahwa!
Brush your teeth with the other hand??
That was the original idea, but then I’ve done this a few times in the past, and have also switched the order that I brush my teeth. So I decided to try doing something different for doing something different. I flossed my teeth differently. I have never noticed in all my life that I always floss the left side of a tooth before doing the right. Last night, I flossed the right before the left.
It felt weird. My teeth were not noticeably cleaner. What I noticed was that doing something differently puts you right in the moment. I was fully present in the moment as I flossed my teeth. Wow!
I paid attention when I was flossing last night and noticed that I floss the left side of most teeth first, but the right side of other teeth first. I did find myself really noticing “wait which side to I want to floss first automatically” and then I’d floss the other side.
I also tried brushing my teeth using both hands at the same time. I have an electric toothbrush so it’s more of just holding on to the toothbrush while it glides over the teeth but it was a totally different experience.
Welcome to Day 4. Click the + to see what I have in store for you today. Muhwahwa! 🙂
Just joining in I will start tomorrow!
Awesome!
Using a different hand for drinking my beverage was a little weird at first but now I’m getting use to it. I haven’t been adventurous enough to try pouring out the hot water with my opposite hand yet. But trying to eat with my opposite hand totally freaked me out. I ‘m left handed and have always considered myself somewhat ambidextrous since a lot of things are geared to right handedness (I still remember those terrible left handed scissors from elementary school and learned to use scissors with my right hand) but using a fork with my right hand just felt really weird. I’m eating yogurt with the spoon in my right hand this morning and it just feels wrong and unnatural. I’ve noticed if I temporarily put the spoon back in my left hand it feels totally different and more natural. It’s amazing what a difference in feel this is.
Halfway through brushing my teeth this morning I realized that it was also an opportunity to switch hands too.
You’re reading my mind! Brushing teeth differently was my plan for Friday’s experiment. It’s so interesting to hear how eating with the opposite hand is freaking you out, especially since you’re a leftie.
Ooh, that gives me another idea for Saturday’s experiment!
It’s also interesting to hear how we have different things that freak us out. I’m okay with eating with a different hand. I mean it’s weird, but not freak out weird. But making tea was next level freak out for me!!!
I’m on day 2 of drinking my tea with my right hand and it’s feeling pretty normal now. But put a fork or a spoon in my right hand it it just feels weird and wrong. Oddly enough when eating I always cut things with my right hand since I have my fork in my left hand. But if I’m cutting something standalone like slicing bread then I have the knife in my left hand.
If you want to try something else to freak yourself out try using your computer mouse with the opposite hand. I learned how to use computers at school in shared classrooms so I always moused righthanded. Then years ago when my right wrist was hurting I switched to lefthanded and it was so weird. Even as a leftie it felt weird and was really hard to do at first 🙂
Ack, I screamed inside when I read, “Try using the computer mouse with the opposite hand.” That means I’m going to try it today. 🙂
Welcome to Day 3. Today’s experiment is to eat one meal with the opposite hand, so if you hold a fork or chopsticks with your right hand, try eating a few bites using your left hand. Remember to celebrate right after you try this!
I know these challenges may seem silly or inconsequential, but they’re like magic fairy dust (each little speck a potent force) to shift repetitive thought patterns and open up a world of new opportunities of growth and expansion in your life.
Please let us know what was going through your mind when you tried this experiment!
this one is funny, I can remember long long ago, in a galaxy far far away, when I was in high school and the basketball coach suggested that we do this to improve our non dominant hand. definitely sloooows meal time down which is always a good thing for me.
Funny you should mention basketball. I was just shooting hoops a half hour ago. This is only my third outing since pre-Covid, and I hadn’t gone since I started my “different” experiment. When my son was little and wanted to go to the playground, I started shooting hoops for something to do. Today, I’m going to do something new, which is watch YouTube videos on how to shoot hoops. If you’ve got pointers (bad pun intended) Lloyd, let me know!
I’m going to have to try this at dinnertime tonight. It sounds challenging 🙂 I just tried drinking my tea using my right hand instead of my left hand and it’s definitely a different sensation.
Ooh, I’m going to try the tea drinking hand switch tomorrow!
Let the CELEBRATION begin with doing TWO things differently today. They’re very tiny changes. Just do and observe:
I just did something radically different for this post. I was looking for some pictures of pants to post with this message (click the + next to “Days 1 & 2” to see them). When I first saw the one that I posted, I decided to pick another pair because A) I would never wear pants like this & B) she’s wearing ridiculous high heels.
As a result, I was about to download a pair of cargo pants when I thought, “Wait a second! This picture is soooo different than what I would normally choose, so let’s do it
Hoppy Easter to everyone!
I’m looking forward to this celebration. And by looking forward to it I mean also kind of terrified by it. But I have seen from time to time how a though pops into my head that I don’t have to always think this way, expect certain outcomes, etc. Baby steps, and I’m not even going to be all that concerned that I can’t find the emojis in this new Soul Group software.
That’s amazing! I’m experiencing the same thing about the thoughts popping into my head every now and then that I don’t have to always think this way.
oh, this is absolutely HORRIFYING to me!!! I MUST follow a SCHEDULE at ALL TIMES!!!! ha ha ha…..its making me nervous even THINKING about the word ‘spontaneous ‘…….whew. i will try to focus on the words ‘TINY change”
Deep breath. Teeny teeny teeny tiny changes. 🙂
different today was some sunshine… this allowed me to do some trimming around the yard.
Fixing some things for people who brought them in to FIXIT CAFE at the Neighbourhood Centre – chair, light shade and tea strainer
Hi Holly, The mind never rests does it ? For a change in my self treatment, I am using a Avazzia microcurrent machine on a Vagus nerve stimulation. I did my reflexolgy and other things this morning.
Happy Easter. Quiet time here – soaking up the sunshine after about 6 weeks of rain.
This is a great novel approach to renewing interest in life. Well done as usual.
How is that working for you? I’ve been intrigued by them but haven’t tried one.
only just starting it
Happy Easter Sunnie
Thank you! Happy Easter to you Jim!
I’ve never heard of that before. I’ll have to look it up! Thanks for sharing, and please keep us posted on how you like it.
I also clicked the [+] symbol that appears at the bottom of my comment box. It was called “spoiler.” I had no idea what that was, but now I know! It creates the little + sign at the top of my comment that you can click to read more. I never noticed it before! Fun!
Let me know what you’re doing differently!
Love our new celebration! You mentioned this in a newsletter several weeks and I was inspired to try it but I kept forgetting. Hopefully this will keep me going every day. Lately I’ve been listening to a Hay House 7 day meditation series called “Change your life while you sleep.” It’s been interesting.
ps – for the record, all my middle schoolers hate having their picture taken. I think it’s a middle school thing 🙂
Yes, kids start changing a lot in middle school. My son is in high school now!