Joanna Gaines Uses a Genius Two-Word Phrase to Help Her Feel Grounded

From Country Living

  • Joanna Gaines has been trying to focus on the present this year.

  • Here's the two-word trick she uses to stay grounded.


We can understand why it might be easy for Joanna Gaines to get sidetracked. The former Fixer Upper star is juggling a new TV network, TV show, several product lines, multiple books, and what feels like a million businesses in Waco, Texas. She and husband Chip also share five kids.

That’s why Joanna decided to focus on being more present this year, instead of holding on to the things that have already happened, or wondering what's in store for the future. The concept is great, but like all good things, it’s harder than it sounds.

Enter Joanna’s two-word mantra that she’s enlisted as her secret weapon: “Look up.” She explained why this trick has been helping her achieve her goal in the latest issue of Magnolia Journal.

“I came up with this mantra of sorts that I’d whisper to myself or repeat in my head whenever I felt that invariable tug to disengage from the present,” she said, according to People. “And because I believe there is power in asking our body to act on our heart’s behalf, no matter where I was or what task may have been in front of me, if I sensed myself drifting, I’d do my best to pause and look up.”

Brilliant! And so simple. She’s not saying it’s foolproof—we all slip up every now and again—but it has helped her find more joy in her day-to-day routines.

“It’s made me wonder how many quiet miracles are happening all around us,” she said. “And how many of them we fail to experience when we’re busy looking down.”

We know what our New Years resolution is!

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