Do you wake up with enthusiasm? Or do you wake up with apathy or even dread?
If you are not beginning your day on a positive note, it is probably because your expectations are low. You may be going to a job you don’t like or dealing with a project that doesn’t interest you or living in an uncomfortable environment or dealing with a relationship that is headed toward an uncertain or unpleasant outcome.
All of us have to deal with negative situations during the course of the day – but it is important that our thoughts not be dominated by them. Often times, the difference between those who start the day with enthusiasm and those who don’t lies in how much control we take over those aspects of the day that we can control.
While some of us function within circumstances that permit a greater level of control than others, we are all social animals. A certain amount of day is determined by those who surround us such as family members, bosses, neighbors, and government officials – all of whom have their own agendas that may conflict with ours. Each of us is the only person who has the ability to determine what is personally meaningful and rewarding. It is important to take control of as much of that process as possible.
During the course of the day, we have many opportunities to make rewarding decisions. We have the opportunity to smile and compliment others. We have the opportunity to make ourselves healthier by choosing what we eat and by carving out time to exercise. We have opportunities to interrupt stresses that are part of our daily lives by pacing ourselves better or doing a few minutes of meditation or just taking a break and doing nothing. We have opportunities to take small steps in the direction of achieving whatever goals we have set.
We may not be able to make life-altering changes or achieve the wealth and success we desire on a daily basis, but we have more control over our day than many of us realize.
Assuming that you’ve gotten sufficient sleep, you may find it easy to wake up with enthusiasm to face a day that you are expecting to control as much as possible. Once you develop the mindset of controlling the day, you may also find that more of the day is under your control than you had ever imagined.