That’s great!

 The Lenton custom of giving-up or taking-up some aspects of life in order to better oneself is beautiful and reaches back 1,696 years ago, to the First Council of Nicaea. Whenever we take part in a tradition stretching so far into the distant past and certainly off into the unrealized future, there is a unifying element to be found, if we will take it. This practice runs through our human experience, linking people of far distant generations, ethnicities, geographies and circumstances, and points us all towards the betterment of ourselves and our world. 

 Whether you’re religious or just trying to be intentional about how you live, a 40 day focus on “betterment” is an idea we can all be excited about.

But is giving up chocolate the best option in a world gone wild?

 Okay. Bear with me. I’ll make the case and then you can chuff me off.  

 Firstly, enjoying (and I mean REALLY enjoying) an excellently crafted piece (or pieces) of chocolate is one of the most innocent ways to trigger those beautifully wondrous neurotransmitters; dopamine and serotonin. With all the fear and anxiety trying to force its way into our brains, it’s very much acceptable, if not mandatory, to have chocolate in your emotional health toolbox.  

  Oh, so you’re not sure you need that? Well, it’s statistically proven that 200% of everyone is getting on each other’s nerves right now. Just ask the five people closest to you, “am I going insane?” Your welcome. #facts 

 Secondly, is chocolate actually at the heart of whatever issue you’re trying to get at or is it just the easy answer to what you’ll change about yourself? In past years, amongst those who have participated in Lent, “giving up chocolate” has been the number one answer. That’s great. But what is that actually doing of any meaning or consequence in the grand scheme as we push our world towards deeper compassion and fulfillment?  

  Thirdly, here’s an equation to ponder. Most people give up chocolate for Lent, then 2020 happened. It’s not working people! I’m sorry. It’s just science.

Regardless

 Whether you’re still dead set on giving up chocolate or you’re pondering a more expansive option, here are a few suggestions that will actually impact the trajectory of your life and those around you.

1. Read 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE 

 Stephan Covey’s lightning bolt to the brain has been possibly the most influential book within our organization. Rather than a book of “tricks and tips”, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People guides the reader into an ever deepening understanding of our personal perspectives and cultivated attitudes. If you are AT ALL interested in becoming a more intentional and effective person, here is your starting point.  

 An important heads up! For most people, the first short bit of this read feels sort of like a jigsaw puzzle, causing some to feel like they missed the week of chemistry in which moles were introduced. STICK WITH IT! Like a Charles Dickens novel, everything suddenly slides into place and the rest of the book is smooth sailing to highly effective living!

 Not a big reader? Audiobooks are a thing.

2. Not-So-Random Acts of Kindness 

 In April of 2020, when we were all figuring out creative ways to turn doorknobs without touching a single place where anyone else had EVER touched it, I found myself wandering into a doctors office. You may have noticed it as well, but during those first months of that strange dystopian-reality, common courtesy and any semblance of kindness had withered and died. 

 Anyway, I was sitting in the waiting room, all by my lonesome, when an elderly woman emerged from the office door. Behind a walker, she made her slow way towards the exit; hunched with age, her mask sliding up and making it hard for her to see through her crooked glasses. Shamefully, I hesitated, wondering if she might be angry if I came too close but after a moment, I stood, opened the exit door and waited for her to pass through.  But she stopped and with tears in her eyes, earnestly thanked me, telling me that no one was willing to hold doors anymore. 

 We might not still be in a place where holding doors is a supernatural occurrence, but I think we could all agree that we’re suffering from a deficit of kindness. Perhaps one of the simplest ways to influence the world for good, would be to spend these 40 days of Lent cultivating a contagiously joyful bearing. 

 Now this doesn’t mean going around laughing at nothing like a psychopath, but an earnest “hello” to the man pushing carts, a “how are you?” to the person checking you out, or smile and wave to the person who accidentally cut you off. Times of great uncertainty are times of great opportunity, if we keep our eyes on each other.

3. Donate to Your Local Food Pantry or charity

 Any time you care for yourself by purchasing groceries, care for other members of your local community. Even $1 per trip could add up to multiple meals of nourishment for a family in desperate need. 

4. Write Letters of Affirmation 

 Most children recognize there is something gloriously exciting about receiving mail. But when we become grownups, we put the ways of childhood behind us, and pretend we don’t like receiving mail. (Is that why your recycling is 80% Amazon boxes?) So we all love receiving mail. We, as humans, also deeply crave affirmation.  

 Consider the profound impact if, over the next 40 days, you were to commit to writing and sending letters of affirmation or gratitude to individuals in your life. Whether they are from your distant past, the immediate present or (if you get real creative) the remote future, people need YOU to say what ONLY YOU can say about THEM.  

 Break it down! 1 letter every 10 days or 10 letters every 4 days. Make it achievable and change an individual's world.

Your Turn!

 Have you ever observed Lent in an outside-the-box way? How do you plan to celebrate the tradition of Lent in the midst of a global pandemic? Let us know in the comments below!

 Keep your friends close. Keep your chocolate closer.