Sunday, April 23, 2017

Lighten Up! Play 'I Spy' to Spot Something Good Coming Your Way


I spy with my little eye...
Happiness and Joy
hidden in plain sight
Playing the Game

As a kid I loved playing 'I Spy'. What could be better than finding things hidden in plain sight? 

Long after a game was over I still scanned my environment to discover the hidden treasures present if only I looked for them. I was enthralled with the game of discovery.

The game was a natural for teaching me how to scan my environment to look for what's present right in front of my eyes I'd miss if I didn't look for it. 

I learned I loved to play the game...and although I didn't know it at the time--so did my brain. This mind-engaging practice of playing I spy has stuck with me through my life--and has helped me find ways to change my perspective and see better in life.


I spy with my little eye...
8 variations of mirth
hiding in plain sight
Kids Love to Play the Game

For seven years, I used the game 'I spy with my little eye' when I conducted hospital tours for second graders to help them get over their fear of the hospital, and to show them how to shift their focus from feeling fearful to relaxed by looking for familiar 'homey' things.  

I brought the children into a hospital room to play the game. As I had primed them with the promise they were going to play a game of I spy when they got quietly into the room, they waited with smiles and anticipation to hear what they were going to look for in the I spy game so they could play.

"I want you to look around this room and identify everything that is the same as in your home", I said. "When you've got something, raise your hand and say 'I spy with my little eye...something that is the same as at home'."

I'd watch their eyes focus as they examined the hospital room with 'home' in mind and wait for their hands to shoot up. 

'I spy with my little eye...a door, a bed, a sheet, a blanket, a light, an electrical outlet, a window, a table, a chair,' they shared. 

It was great fun--and I watched as the children's eyes focused on the familiar and comforting things in the hospital room rather than on the scary looking hospital equipment. Now, if they or someone they loved ended up in the hospital, they had a fun experience to fall back on to help them look for comfort in their surroundings.


Happy Girl
Tracy Gibbons

I spy with my little eye
a Happy Girl
hiding in plain sight

Lighten Up! Play 'I Spy with My Little Eye Something Good Coming My Way'

Too often as adults we focus our eyes on obstacles or 'bad' things we fear will occur in the future. Once you get in a negative groove 'anticipating the worst' it can be difficult to knock yourself out of it.

Truth is if you only look for bad things to show up, you'll only see bad things when they arrive and totally miss the good that regularly drops in your lap. 

If you find a way to switch to looking for good things coming next, you may actually see something good on the horizon.

Here's where the I Spy game comes into play. By using the children's I Spy game each morning to set your focus on the good things you see 'in plain sight' you can reset your attention so you look for and anticipate good things coming your way.


Happy Cat
Tracy Gibbons

I spy with my little eye...
Good things coming my way
hidden in plain sight


Set Your Sights on What's Hidden in Plain Sight

Practice redirecting your attention towards the good things coming today. Play I spy. 

Try playing by yourself, and then try playing it with a friend.  If you have a child you can play the game with do that. Kids are uninhibited and love to play. Follow their lead.


I spy with my little eye...
Love wherever I go
hiding in plain sight

Here are just a few of the things you can look for to spot something good coming your way.

I spy with my little eye...

💓Things that make me happy
💙Opportunities 
💚Jobs I'd like to apply for
💛Jobs I'd be good at
💜Something fun to do
💓Things I do to be healthy
💙People I'd like to spend time with
💚Characteristics in others I'd like to have in a partner
💛Characteristics of people I'd like to mentor me
💜Characteristics of people I'd like to emulate
💓People treating others well
💙People doing a good deed
💚People I'd like to learn from

Play I Spy
💓
Affirm
All is Well
Life Is Good
💓
Shift Your Focus 
From Fearful to Calm 
From Hopeless to Inspired


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For more than 35 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes letting go and moving forward with life easier than ever before.


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4 comments:

Cynthia kendall said...

Susan, you are always on target. I love your post. Yes, I need to play again and have fun. Best to you and family.

Susan J Meyerott, M.S. said...

Cynthia! So good to hear from you. Get out there and play I spy! Enjoy your life!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Sue, once again I'm wowed! My grandmother played that game with my cousins and me when we were little. What a sweet memory. And how clever you were to think of it as a way to take the fear out of a hospital room for those children. I love the way you've applied it in the now. I'll be rereading this post, you can be sure.

Susan J Meyerott, M.S. said...

Jean, I do maintain a child-like mind that serves me well! I can't pass up looking for hidden pictures in the Highlights magazine for children when visiting the dentist office! It is so useful for us to be on the lookout for things hiding in plain sight!