At the start of the new year, we’re all reading or listing good resolutions and it’s sometimes hard not to get discouraged.
We can also dream of snow-covered slopes and snowmen? And yet, with temperatures almost like spring, we have to keep our fingers crossed that the snowflakes will show up…
As the Butrfly team reflected on our mood for January, we decided that what we needed was to be POSITIVE.
After the end-of-year festivities, in a threatening economic and political context and at the start of a new page, we were in the mood for some colour.
“Think of a wonderful thought, any merry little thought”
Walt Disney
Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. Hearing the alarm clock and being in a grumpy mood, leaving in the rain and taking on the colour of the sky, turning off the radio so as not to undermine ourselves, or giving importance to that little voice inside us that tells us we lack this or that, or that we’re not enough of that.
STOP
One of the good resolutions for 2023 is to cultivate optimism. Because yes, cultivating positive thoughts can lead us down paths we’d never have imagined, and that’s something you have to work at.
And if you’re reading this, we know that you too share this faith in confidence, hope and happiness. If you’re a parent and you’re thinking about taking on an au pair, you have this desire to trust and to enjoy great experiences, and if you’re planning to be an au pair, you may not know it yet, but you also have this same desire to dare, to give and to trust.
And to encourage yourself you need a good dose of optimism, and POSITIVE is part of our routine.
Appreciating the present moment
Information travels fast and our minds are often fickle. We put a lot of energy into getting what we want, and sometimes we’re disappointed with the result.
Very often we don’t take advantage of the present moment, which means that the result falls short of our expectations.
Appreciating the present moment requires concentration and willpower. And yes, it is easier to be somewhere else. Ordinary unconsciousness is always linked to a form of denial of the present. But the present moment requires us to be here and now and to take action.
Being in action forces us to be actors in what we are experiencing.
If you are an au pair and you are looking for ideas to improve your experience with the children and your host family, try appreciating the present moment and focusing your energy on what you’re experiencing. Sharing with the children on a daily basis will help you change the way you perceive your experience.
Laugh
Laughter is an essential ingredient for a positive attitude.
Laughter is the first language in which relationships are formed and it cures many ills. Whatever language you speak, laughter opens hearts and makes people want to meet you. If you’re joining a new host family, start by smiling – it’s worth more than words. With children, making them laugh will help you make contact, create complicity and gain acceptance.
Laughter relieves pain and gives you energy. You’ll find yourself changing the way you look at a situation after a good laugh.
Thank
To appreciate the present moment, you have to know how to recognise it. Gratitude helps us to focus our thoughts on positive moments, and thanking the people around us is an act of gratitude.
Savour the moments you share and thank yourself for living them.
An easy exercise to get into the habit of giving thanks is to write down your 3 ‘kifs’ of the day every day. This forces you to remember the day’s positive moments and take the opportunity to thank yourself.
‘Your quality of life is proportional to your ability to appreciate.’
Max Piccinini
So, as we begin 2023, we wish you exciting projects that will make you happy and make you laugh. Enjoy these precious moments and thank yourself for making your dreams come true!
If this article has helped you, let us know in the comments and share your plans and your laughter.
