I was recently invited to a health reset challenge that included 21 days of drinking a gallon of water among many other things. I have often considered myself pretty solid when it came to drinking enough water. When you are told to do it, well. that is another game. I’m going to be honest, I am not the biggest fan of being told what to do, and at the same time, I love a good challenge.

So I prepped myself and got underway. Here’s what helped me along the way.

1. Get the right container. I am a big fan of stainless steel ones that hold at least a liter of good old H20.

2. Try to space out the drinking and start strong in the morning.

3. Try adding your favorite berries, cucumber, or lemon to the water. Especially helpful for people not really digging the water intake.

The results…

• Clearer skin

• Clearer mind

• Reduced inflammation and bloating

• More energy

Brene Brown, who I simply have admired beyond words since she stepped on that TED Talk stage, once said

“You either walk inside your story and OWN IT or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.”

I have struggled with my own worthiness…as far back as I can remember. Many times I placed my actual value as a human on how much money I was making, the professional title I held, or the company I was working for. I mean if my family could actually recognize who I was working for, there was definite value in that. WRONG

Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being successful, having a good job that pays well, and a title is not a bad thing. When we place our personal worth and value on those items this is where it turns a bit dangerous. Goals are healthy…they drive us to achieve something.

One of my all-time favorite photographers is Dorthea Lange. The raw, real, and humane nature of her photographs stirs up so many emotions and displays true humanity during the Great Depression. She once said,

“You know, so often it’s just sticking around and being there, remaining there, not swooping out in a cloud of dust: sitting down on the ground with people, letting children look at your camera with their dirty, grimy little hands, and putting their fingers on the lens, and you just let them, because you know that if you will behave in a generous manner, you are apt to receive it, you know?”

Real presence and living in a generous manner…easier said than done in even some of the most simple moments of our lives. It is easier to say we are too busy to stop and listen for just one moment, to play when not planned, to grab that cup of coffee, or offer a compliment to a perfect stranger. Come on folks, it isn’t that hard, but the speed at which most of us live our lives can make it seem so unattainable. We get lost in the rush of getting from one appointment to the next kid pickup or pilates class. What would happen if we just took a moment to STOP and do one of these things we claim to be too busy for each day? You might just find that you capture a truer view of life than you ever expected. I have to also believe that you might just develop some pretty memorable moments that impact people in ways you could never understand.

I challenge you all to do one generous thing each day for the next week and let me know how it goes, how you feel at the end of it, and how what you experienced has enriched your own life.

Ever had one of those WTF days where that overwhelming feeling that there is just too much on your plate and you can’t find a way to get it sorted has thrived all…day…long? Between the demands of work, family, eating, exercising, and many more demands placed on us, it is really challenging to find a moment for ourselves.

Here is one of my favorite breathing techniques to pull me back into my own body, reduce the chatter in my brain, and calm my stress.

SQUARE BREATH:

• Sit in a comfortable position, either in a chair or on the floor.

• Rest your palms on your thighs or knees, face-down if you feel the need to ground or face-up if you are looking to receive.

• Take five deep breaths all the way down into the bowl of your pelvis and exhale all the way out.

Once you complete the five cleansing breaths you will begin your square breath practice.

You will complete five to ten rounds of the following pattern:

1. Inhale for a count of four

2. Hold the breath for a count of four

3. Exhale for a count of four

4. Hold the breath for a count of four

Repeat this pattern for each round.

Once you complete the rounds, notice how your body felt before and after this exercise. is your mind more or less active? This is a great opportunity to get some thoughts in your journal and continue to observe how you feel each time you do this exercise.

Love, but let go
Set boundaries, but let others in
Spend time alone, but also with friends
Do things for others, but also take care of you.
Find Balance.
- Buddha

Humor me and read these words again in the quote above. They sound simple when read, and to put these into practice would seem to take a lifetime to achieve, at least for myself.

Take a moment to consider each line of this quote and write your reaction to each, whithout thinking about it too long, in a journal. Go back and revisit the quote in a week, month, a year and do the exercise all over again.

What do you notice about your own relationship with each of these items?