I was recently given a gift by one of my blog followers. (yes, and wow, this dorky mom has “followers.”) It was a book, The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino, and she thought I’d like it from reading my posts. It’s a story of a very wealthy, happy, and well-loved man from the first century and his acquisition of the wisdom that enabled it all, shared in ten secret ancient scrolls that he received as a poor camel boy. In a very low moment, as his mentor is dying, the boy is gifted with the box of scrolls and told to read them in order. The first instructs how to read those following – very slowly, one at a time, three times a day, for thirty days – in order to truly instill the wisdom of each. My follower was right, I love what I have read thus far (Thanks Annalea!). But I can’t offer any recommendation yet (in case you were asking), because even though it’s super short, I won’t be finished for a really long time. I’m on Scroll II, and will be until the beginning of June, having been so moved by what I’ve read that I decided to follow the 3×30 protocol myself.

“I will greet this day with love in my heart.” … The advice spelled out in the words of the second scroll that add in the detail to this opening line sums up for me a key to true happiness – and success for that matter. … Accepting all that life imposes, the good and the bad, with love, understanding that everything has its purpose for our betterment. … Loving others by looking for ways to praise and not criticize, celebrating us all, in much the same way nature sings praise to her creator. … Seeing people through loving eyes, past superficially inviting or ugly qualities, to what is under that we can learn from. … Melting, and thus transforming, insults and attacks with a shield of love. … Loving ourselves, cherishing and nourishing the health of our body, mind and soul. … And this, it really moved me, an instruction on how to greet each person we encounter … “In silence and to myself I will address him and say I love you. Though spoken in silence these words will shine in my eyes…”

The first couple of days, each time I read it, I felt sure that the rest of my day would happen within the ‘Love in my heart’ framework, but unfortunately I kept forgetting whenever tension would arise or people got on my nerves. I even forgot each time I greeted someone. So, on Tuesday, while sitting at my desk at work, in a zoom meeting with some red pens in front of me, I decided to create a little red heart reminder on my wrist, right where the pulse of my own heart beats.

And what happened?… Well, when I went to shake someone’s hand, I saw my heart there, and I looked into his eyes, greeted his soul, and became interested in him. … As I lifted my hands to the keyboard when I responded to emails (some that I found annoying), I also saw it, and in my heart I said, I love you, before even typing. My tone was more human, and I wanted to understand their side…. When someone walked in interrupting my flow of thought, I stopped, saw it out of the corner of my eye, and I greeted her with an energy that was authentically inviting. I sat and listened to people more. I watched new neighbors moving in across the street and made a mental note to get something and go knock on the door in a few days, when they are more settled, to welcome, because I am interested in knowing them. With a young man who was having difficulty expressing himself, I didn’t just ‘try to be patient’, but instead listened with genuine expectancy because I wanted to know what he wanted to tell me…. And – this was powerful – after an emotional exchange with my teenager, in a spinning and consuming energy of discouragement, I went to sit at my desk, letting out a heavy dispirited sigh. As I sat, I put my hands up on the desk and I noticed my little heart. I looked up and out at the yard and observed three beautiful cardinals playing in the grass, and then a very bright yellow finch fly by, the same kind that my husband Doug always loved. I stopped and acknowledged the beauty … and my whole heart lifted and was filled with the elevated energy of gratitude.

What a week!  And what a powerful tattoo! Try it for yourself! I’m hoping to start a happiness and success for all fad!

💖

Interested in learning more about Naomi, her book, and AdamsWorld? Learn more at www.naomibrickel.com