I really hate unloading the dishwasher. (Weirdly, loading it’s no problem). If I had to rate how much I dislike this chore on a scale of -10 to 10, it would be somewhere around an -7. As a point of reference, having to take the dog out in the middle of a busy day is a 2. Letting myself sneak off for a quick nap after the dog walk is an 8.

As you can tell, I’ve given a lot of thought to quantifying how much I enjoy or dread certain aspects of my day. That’s why I’ve come up with a way to do less of what I dread and more of what I love. Inspired by my former coach, Martha Beck, I call this system, “Bag It, Barter It, or Brighten It.” It’s a powerful way to design your life so it’s as bright as possible.

Have you ever witnessed something so amazing it brought tears to your eyes? Put a lump in your throat? Or stopped you dead in your tracks?

You might never have thought about it until now, but that intense physical, emotional and mental response is the emotion of awe.