lists that make you go, "hmmmm"

I failed to credit life coach Martha Beck for some of the most interesting lists I've made. These are the ones in her book, "Finding Your Own North Star".

In this book, she used the list as tools to make the reader realize some truths which were possibly hidden or buried, consciously or otherwise, and to make some sense of the life's riddles. The book, and especially the lists, greatly helped me unearth information I either refused to acknowledge or just deliberately shoved into the back of my consciousness. It was not as easy as I anticipated to complete the lists in order to get to the results I sought. But there were benefits, and though they may not have included finding my own North Star, I did succeed in getting over some painful memories and rediscovering highs of my life.

I'm sure Martha has a valid and expert reason for the order and context in which these lists came, her aim being "helping you claim the life you were meant to live" -- making your essential self rule over your social (accepted, dictated, or pre-set you) self. I believe, though, that some of these could independently be helpful, even without needing to go through the entire North Star program. Here are my top five:

1. Things that can always get you moving. These are the activities that raise your energy levels.
2. Times your health seemed better than usual. There is a trend, believe me, and it's key in finding things you really love doing or places you truly love being in.
3. Categories of information you seem to have the (extraordinary) ability to remember.
4. Types of activities that make you forget time. Throughout the years, I've forgotten about getting lost in drawing, coloring, and painting. Boy, was it happy going back to those times.
5. The last times you experienced a wonderful mood, particularly if your mood came at a strange time or from an action other people may have criticized.

And, as recommended by Martha, try running them by these statements:

1. It's an incredibly beautiful day. The air is clear, scenery dazzling, and you're setting out to do (#1) .
2. You've got no other responsibilities, no immediate deadlines, and no other problems weighing you down. You feel great, even better than you did back then (#2).
3. You're having a great conversation about (#3),
4. when a message arrives for you from the President, saying you have been chosen to receive lifetime financial support for doing (#4).
5. You feel just the way you did when (#5).

Fab, huh?