Practices That Change The World #7

Time to read: 56 seconds

2023 started intensely. Chaos. Crisis. Emotions. No pause or time to breathe. Last week I finally had a chance to breathe, recover, and reflect.

For today's "practices that change the world," I am going to start with a story. (My parents granted me permission to tell it.)

My mother made an emergency trip to the hospital two weeks ago. I got THAT phone call and in 20 minutes was showered, packed and in the car to the airport. If you've ever done this, you know what the next week was like. (For all you caring folks, my mom is home and doing well.)

In the middle of it all, we received disappointing news that meant more days in the hospital. We were discouraged and sad.

I was the chief note-taker and candy striper so I looked at my parents and said,

"What would make this suck 5% less?"

My parents: "answers to medical questions....going home."

Me: "Not in the future. What can I do right now that would improve this experience by 5%?"

My father said, "beer."

My mother said, "a massage."

I said, "better food."

Which brings me to today's practice....

What can you do right now...this minute...that will improve your experience by 5%?

Studies show that a beer, a massage, and better food improve your experience by 10-15%. In fact, those things created sublime moments in the midst of difficulty. When you aim for 5% better right now, you often get so much more.

I love to hear from you. What's your 5% better?

Have a great weekend!

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