Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness.

Today, I'm going to talk

about uprooting negativity.

So it's not what we look

at, but how we see it.

It's not what happens,

but what we perceive.

We may be impacted by events in the

world around us, but ultimately it's our

thoughts that often define our experience.

Let's say you wake up one day and you

see that it's raining outside your window

and then a thought pops into your head

that says, Ugh, what a dreadful day.

Now is the day actually dreadful?

Or is that just a judgment?

Of course the day's not dreadful.

It's simply raining, but if you believe

that thought, guess what you'll have?

Right.

You'll have a dreadful day.

In other words, a thought like that

can generate a lot of negativity.

I mean, for instance, you could

often easily have the different

interpretation of the rain, right?

Like, Oh, hooray.

This is an abundance of rain

watering our food and our trees.

How lucky is that?

And so will a thought like

that make you feel completely

differently to the first one.

You bet it will.

The former breeds negativity, this

thought breeds gratitude and joy.

So what's the basic mechanics of

the thoughts that breed negativity?

Well, basically they are thoughts

of resistance to what is.

Resistance basically says I don't

want what is, I don't like what

is, what is, is not good enough

or it shouldn't be happening.

So for instance, underneath that thought,

Oh, what a dreadful day, is a basic

sentiment of, I don't like this rain.

I don't want it.

It shouldn't be happening.

So if you want to feel negativity,

you just think thoughts that dislike,

resent or see deficiency in what is.

Now you can do this with your body.

Just look in the mirror and think yuck.

I don't like this.

It's not good enough.

And you'll feel immediate

negative emotions.

You can do this with your partner.

Just look at your partner

and think this person sucks.

I don't like this about them.

I don't like that about them.

And you'll start to immediately

feel resentment and negativity.

You can do this with anything.

You can do it with the weather,

the food on your plate, your

finances, your work, other people.

But the more we can remind ourselves

that it's not what's happening to us or

around us that defines our experience,

it's how we relate to it, the more we

can create space for calm, clarity,

joy, and wisdom within ourselves.

And the more we're empowered to take

skillful action to change things if it's

required, because of course you don't

have to be negative to create change.

You take more skillful action

when it comes from a place of

presence and non-resistance.

So today's invitation is to see if you

can uproot negativity in your life.

Just even if it's just a little bit.

So if you notice the mind getting

caught up in resistance and resentment,

see if you can change your perception

to gratitude and acceptance.

Accept first and then act if

required, but doing so from a

place of presence and inner peace.

I wish you a wonderful

practice with this today.

And as always, thank you for doing this

work in the world and within yourself.

And just inviting you now to

settle in for today's meditation.