Have You Enjoyed Yourself Lately?
posted in Goal Setting, Gratitude, Attitude, Life, Practical Tips, Ways To Enjoy, Happy |Hey Folks,
Blogging From Kuala Lumpur
I am now surfing from my hotel’s internet room (free 24hr surfing, phew!) and I’m going to share with you something amazing that I did and felt yesterday while on my trip from Singapore to KL (Capital of Malaysia).
Background
A little about myself before we carry on: I am basically an analytical person, fast to spot crucial details and ever so critical. It’s a good strength while conducting business, analyzing plans and spotting opportunities but when it comes to relaxation, recreation and generally having some fun, it can be a pain.
Scenario
So here’s my story: I booked a first class coach that carried only 16 passenger, travels non-stop to destination, came with a message chair, personal entertainment system and even had a butler serving meals and coffee on board. So naturally I expected to enjoy the ride but these were my actual thoughts when I board and traveled for the first 60 mins:
1) The coach wasn’t that new.
2) The engines were a bit loud.
3) The message chair wasn’t the best.
4) The selection of movies, music, games wasn’t that great.
My Goal
Naturally I was a bit disappointed. I was skipping through a couple of concert selection on their personal entertainment system when I suddenly had a thought and I told myself:
“My goal from now till the end of the coach journey is to enjoy my trip.
I will enjoy the meal that is about to be served,
I will enjoy the entertainments, enjoy sitting in the chair,
enjoy the service and be happy!”
What I Did
To achieve that I will release from myself from these following thoughts for this duration and stop:
1) Analyzing
2) Being Critical
3) Focusing On Ways To Improve (Second nature, hard to abandon even when I wanted to)
4) Maintaining A Self Image (You can’t enjoy while maintaining any image)
Instead I focus on what is:
1) Enjoyable
2) Beautiful
3) Nice
4) Memorable
5) Touching
6) Heart Warming
7) Delicious
Sweet
9) Comfortable
The Results
With that goal set and preparations done, I had the best 4 hour journey I ever had in my entire life!
- I enjoyed the meal (simple 3 dish and rice served hot), which was served by the butler.
- I thoroughly enjoyed watching the concert by Taiwan girl group S.H.E in Hong Kong. They look so gorgeous and sounded so sweet.
- I forgot about the noisy engine as I indulged in the concert.
- I got a blanket and keep myself cosy throughout the trip (I told you I threw self image out the window :P)
- I enjoy the coffee that was served at Tea Time.
- I watch a touching Japanese show called Yamato but missed the ending as we reached our destination. Very touching show.
Did I enjoy the trip in the end? ABSOLUTELY!
What Actually Happened
So what changed? Perspective.
How did I change it? I set a goal to Enjoy The Trip And Make Myself Happy.
What action did I take to achieve my goal? I removed the thoughts that was preventing me from enjoying the trip and hence be happy about it.
Was it difficult? Absolutely NOT! Once I identify the problem, it took only a second take action and throw away the unwanted thoughts.
So folks, if you ever need to enjoy yourself fully, you can follow the same process and I bet you will enjoy like you never enjoy before. 
Cheers
James From KL.
PS: I could not totally throw out “Looking for ways to improve” as it has become a second nature for me. But I did minimized it to a little corner of my mind like you would minimized a window on your desktop 
PSS: If you hadn’t notice by now, this is the Goal Setting Process for Practicing Gratitude
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