This is a practice in living intentionally in ways aligned with our values. 

Start by taking a moment to gather and settle yourself. And then when you're ready, bring to mind a future version of yourself. This is you in the future living with a sense of happiness and ease. Keep it simple.

And once you have this sense of yourself in the future, living with happiness and ease, sharpen the image. Try and make it as vibrant and as alive as possible. And now very deliberately bring this future version of you alongside you like a good friend. See if you can feel their presence, their care and protection, their unspoken acceptance of you exactly as you are without conditions or judgment. And when you're ready, perhaps ask them what advice they might have for you about living well and staying true to your values.

Take your time, and don't worry if nothing comes up right away. So living well means being thoughtful about what you focus on, how you spend your time, and who you spend it with. But it's also something that changes over time. Sometimes you need to slow down. Sometimes you can manage more.

Sometimes you need to make changes in your life. Your appreciation practice, noticing and savouring what's good in your life, can be a source of inspiration and direction here. It wakes us up to what's meaningful, good and joyful in our lives. If you look back at your appreciation practice over time, be that weeks, months, or years, what are the most recurrent themes? What are the top five most frequent people, places, things, or experiences that have brought you that sense of joy, connection, meaning, and purpose?

And how would it be to deliberately schedule these into your life? This involves going from noticing what you appreciate to intentionally integrating these into your life. And of course, this is a lifelong practice, and the themes will likely change at different stages in your life.