What if each time you encounter a mirror during the next two weeks, you greet yourself. Say, "Hello there, Self, I am so glad to see you." It is better if you use your name. I like speaking it aloud, but my mom always said, "You don't have to talk to yourself aloud, Lory." She didn't want me to turn out insane. But oh well. Whether you choose to greet yourself aloud or in your own head, there is one requirement: that you have to really mean it. It can't be an "Oh, hey there, cubiclemate. I am glad to see you because that means you aren't dead and because if you weren't here I wouldn't have anyone to complain to all day while I sit here hating my job and thus my life." I am talking about a "Hey, boo..." -level of happy to see yourself. Whether you make bedroom eyes at yourself is totally up to you. Then smile at yourself. I don't mean fake smile at yourself, like you might do to check your teeth or lipstick. I mean smile at yourself. Not selfie-picture smile. Happy-to-see-yourself smile. There-is-even-a-smile-in-my-voice smile. What if every time you encountered yourself you admired you as you might a celebrity crush. What if you were your own #mcm or #wcw? What if after next week, instead of going back to fake smiling at yourself when you go to brush your teeth, you kept this little exercise up? What if instead of critiquing your body's idiosyncrasies, you instead praised them? Would you eventually start your day by being pleased (or even thrilled) by the person you see in the mirror? How great would your day become if you when you woke up, you thought of yourself, "I get to spend another day with this awesome guy/girl. I'm so freaking lucky!"

What if as you go to bed you say good night and thank you to each body part that got you through the day. Thank your feet for keeping you upright, your ankles and knees for not giving in, your thighs for pumping you up the stairs, your hips for allowing you to chairdance at work, your stomach and back for keeping you from tipping over and for housing your organs, your arms for hugging your friend, your hands for writing down a recipe, your lips for kissing your wife, your eyes for seeing the world, your brain for thinking and for keeping your body running. Then, what if you gave your brain some time off and just existed without thinking? For a second, a minute, a few minutes? What if you were fully conscious for even a fraction of a second?

What could you do then? Who could stop you?