While I was reading through a little stack of favorite quotes today, I came across this anonymous one: “Change rooms in your mind for a day.”

What a fabulous suggestion!  What would happen if you could?

What if tomorrow you moved into a mind room where you saw everything through happy glasses? Or through lenses that made everything beautiful?  What if you moved into a space that was filled with compassion?  Or one where you saw only the good in the people and events you experienced?

Want to try it?  Here’s the key:  You find what you look for.

(Brain’s are set up to work that way.  Decide right now that you want to notice the color green for the rest of the day and you’ll prove it to yourself.)

So all you have to do is decide, ideally at night, before you go to sleep, what mind room you want to practice living in tomorrow.  Give it a name: My Happy Room, My Room of Goodness.  It can be anything you choose.  My Acceptance Room, My Confidence Room, My Easy Room, My Kindness Room.  Anything.

Then, in the morning, remind yourself that you’re going to look at the world from inside your chosen room.

Now, I have to be honest with you.  It takes practice.  You won’t be able to stay in a different mind room for a whole day.  In fact, five minutes might be a stretch at first.  We’re terribly comfortable in our normal living rooms, after all.

But you can return to your chosen mind room any time you remember it.  Puts its name on a sticky note that you’ll see frequently to remind you.  Or put a little dot of ink on the back of your index finger as a signal.  Or program yourself to think of it whenever you look at a clock.

After a while, you’ll get so good at it that you’ll be able to create and move into a new mind room at will.

I’ve trained myself to enter a Room of Beauty whenever I go on a photo shoot, and now, the moment I head out the door, the world is utterly transformed.  Colors are suddenly more vibrant, and their shades more subtle.  I notice the way light strikes things and how shadows fall.  Everything takes on a depth of dimension.  Textures and contrasts come alive.  I call it “being in a trance of beauty,” and it’s wonderful!

Over the past few weeks, a wave of illness and misfortune has washed over a couple of close friends of mine, and I’ve put myself in a Room of Compassionate Acceptance where I could be caring and supportive without being overwhelmed by sadness.

Over the past few months, I’ve built a Heartful Listening Room to be more aware of changes of energy and nuances of emotion when I’m talking with someone.  To my delight, it’s also bringing new depth and richness to my music listening.  And I’m noticing more subtle sounds in my general environment.

The possibilities are endless, and endlessly enriching.

What kind of room are you going to build?  Leave your ideas as a comment below.