A simple choice to smile when you wake up may not seem like much. Done repetitively, it can become a lifestyle! What do you do first thing when you wake up? Go to the bathroom? Pour a cup of coffee? Many of us reach for our phones. That is about the worst thing you can do! Exposing yourself to outside influences before you have had an opportunity to determine and set your own mood is simply dangerous.
When you smile, and i would add feeling one thing you’re grateful for, YOU set the tone for your day. A simple affirmationsuch as, “No matter what happens today, I will make the best of it and keep smiling.” May sound silly at first. Done for a month and it becomes who you are.
Don’t you deserve to determine your attitude towards your own life? I believe you do. The question is, do you?
Quite a while back, I did a video for my YouTube channel called Waking up in neutral. I will post a link at the end of this post if you would like to check that out. By the time you are done reading this, it may not be a bad idea.
What is the first thing you do in the morning? If you are like 90% of people reading this blog, you probably roll over and grab your phone. According to recent surveys, 74% of people use their phone as their alarm clock. That number jumps to 83% if you live in the United States. Here is the really scary stat. 80% of people grab their phone within 15 minutes of waking up. 62% grab it immediately after waking up. What do all of these numbers mean? It means that less than a half an hour after waking up, you are letting other people influence your day. What is the big deal about that? You never know if the influence is going to be good or bad.
Once we leave the safe confines of our humble abode, we start to relinquish control of our day. There are other drivers on the road. The road itself. How about the flow of traffic? Once we get to work, there is the mood that the boss and our coworkers are in. Could be good, could be not. The fact is that none of this is in our control and the odds that all of it will be perfect and positive are slim to none. Meaning, the start of our day is the one moment we have complete control over. Yet, as odd as this may seem, almost nobody starts their day with a purpose. They sort of ‘wake up with their gears in neutral’ and let the day happen to them.
One of the ways that we can start our day on a positive spin begins before we even get out of bed. After all, we could stub our toe on the corner of the bed and start a downward trend. Before our feet even hit the floor, we should come up with at least one thing we are grateful for. If this seems like a task that may not be possible for you first thing in the a.m., it would be a great idea to jot a few down the night before. That way, all you would have to do is read a few lines before getting out of bed.
That leads us to our second suggestion. Have a morning declaration. Declare to yourself, and any nosey neighbors, what kind of day you are determined to have. Here is one of my favorites – “Today I will foster my own inner peace and bring joy to others no matter what circumstances may arise.” or “Today I will either win or I will learn. Nothing will defeat me.” It is far more powerful if you say it out loud. It may seem silly at first, stick with it. Looking at yourself in the mirror with a smile as you repeat your morning mantra will have dramatic effects. If you are too self-conscious that your spouse will hear, run the shower. I am grateful that Margie is used to me talking to myself in the bathroom and does it not pay it much mind.
There is so much craziness and chaos in our lives, we owe it to ourselves to start our day out on a positive note. Above is two suggestions. You can start with these and develop ones that work for you. I enjoy some gratitude affirmations with my first cup of coffee in the morning. Oddly enough, Margie seems grateful after I have my first coffee in the morning as well. Please share with us your tips and tricks for starting your morning off the right way. The more suggestions we have, the more likely we are to have a great day!
This site is all about finding tools and strategies to set ourselves up to win at the game of life. To turn our lives from one of striving, to one of thriving.
I came across this little saying in one of the many positive pages I subscribe to on social media. Not only do I like the message, but I thought how powerful it could be as a daily morning mantra. Can you imagine having this printed out, hung on the bathroom mirror and reciting it out loud to yourself every morning? Can you imagine how that might impact and change your life? You don’t have to imagine! Print, or write, this out! Hang it on the mirror. Look yourself in the eyes and recite this every morning.Try it for 3 weeks and watch the magic happen!
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 