The Day After

Yesterday was Inconvenience Yourself™ Day. I sent an email to people who were interested in Inconvenience Yourself™ where I committed to four things to celebrate the holiday. Thought I should provide an update of how I did. Here are the commitments:

1. Send a thank you note.
2. Take a walk in my neighborhood and pick up trash I see.
3. As I run errands, park farther away leaving closer parking spaces for others.
4. Spend time at the end of the day reflecting on what other people did for me today.

The results:

1. I wrote a note to a friend who has been supportive and encouraging in my Inconvenience Yourself™ concept.
2. I ended up with a full grocery bag of recycling and almost a full bag of trash from a 15 minute walk.
3. This was not applicable. My errands were postponed so I will honor this commitment next time.
4. What a great way to end my day - positive thoughts that reinforced that there are good people out there. When I began thinking about my day I was surprised at how many positive moments I have due to the actions of other. I plan on regularly incorporating this reflection of the positive impact other have on my daily life in a personal journal as it made me feel good again!

Did any of this make a difference? I hope so. My neighborhood looks better. I enjoyed the fresh air of a walk, even while picking up trash - getting away from work and "home stuff" - an unaticipated benefit. Sending the thank you note reminded how many people do nice things for me and of the importance of taking time to let them know. The reflection time at the end of the day was positive and uplifting way to end my day. My Inconvenience Yourself™ Day celebration was a success!

Try a commitment of your own. I plan on committing to at least one thing every day. Today my commitment is to practice patience. More Inconvenience Yourself™ ideas can be found at http://www.inconvenienceyourself.com/