This week I got back from a lovely trip to beautiful Tokyo and Kyoto where I met up with a close friend of mine from Sydney. We laughed. We cried. We ate fish we’d never heard of before and drank too much sake. It was perfect (some snaps are here if you’re curious).

Have you ever noticed that when you go somewhere foreign you realize a lot about your current life? And have you also realized that when you catch up with an old friend who really knows you after a few years, you realize how far you’ve come? Well I got a good dose of both last month. And it brought me to a place of major appreciation for the people in my life, the work that I get to do and the city I get to live in (the dog I get to call mine, my pizza place downstairs… the list goes on and on… I will spare you). 

It got me thinking about what psychologists refer to as “hedonic adaptation”, our ability to get used to things, good or bad, within a short about of time. Put simply, after cool life events (quick bursts or more gradual over the years) – we just get used to our circumstances. We get used to the boost in our paycheck and soon desire even more money. The excitement of getting engaged is replaced with wedding-planning anxiety. We love how our skinny jeans fit, but then wonder if they could still be a size smaller.

And I don’t want to just be used to the good things in my life. I want to enjoy them. And notice them. And appreciate them. Today’s video is about how to do just that! It’s a must watch for a bit of a mindset re-frame and to feel waaaayy better about your life – right now. I call it – “How to improve your life in a freakin’ instant while changing absolutely nothing (as I sit on the couch with my feet up, eating peanut butter).”

What can you appreciate in a new way about your life this week?