What’s the FIRST thing you think as you open your eyes in the morning??
Well, if you are like many people, especially on Mondays, your first thought is “Ugh”. You may think, “Ugh, I’m tired”, or “Ugh, I don’t feel like getting up”, or “Ugh, I need some coffee”, or “Ugh, I hate my job”, or just “Ugh, it’s Monday!”
If you start your day like this, are you surprised that it feels like an uphill battle to get your energy going?? You shouldn’t be! If you start your day like this, you ARE giving yourself an UPHILL battle to overcome as your day gets going. You put yourself at a loss from where you have to climb UP.
It’s a simple fact: If the very first thing you think about as you open your eyes (and in some cases even before you open your eyes) is a negative thought, your energy WILL start at the bottom and you will spend the rest of the day playing catch-up.
I recently asked a client about how she started her day because she was struggling to get herself started and it would take hours for her to get going. And she told me that her first thoughts were “Ugh, I need more sleep” or “Ugh, I need coffee”. I explained to her why this was part of the problem and asked if she were willing to try an experiment with me to see if things would change.
- As you wake up, focus on gratitude as your FIRST thought for the day. What are you thankful for in that moment? Keep it simple.
- Decide at that moment that today IS going to be an AMAZING day!
- Set a positive intention for something you would like to accomplish on this day. This is NOT a loooong To-Do list.
Seems simple, right? She thought so too. I think she probably thought it was too simple to possibly work! But after she tried it for a few days she sent me this in an email:
“You were right about the gratitude and positive thoughts in the AM. Really transformative!”
I think what puzzled her so much was the fact this simple little strategy had such a DRAMATIC effect on how she functioned for the WHOLE day!
But it makes sense, right? Instead of starting your day off at the bottom of a pit, if you can start off outside the pit staring at the sun and filled with positive energy, you will have the energy you need to have a productive day! Each and every day can start like this. If you follow me on my FB page, you will know that I believe in starting each and every day on the right side of the bed and starting off on the right foot (to use the help of some great clichés). I don’t believe in hating Mondays and spending the week just counting down the days till the weekend! To me, that’s just wishing your life away! I’ve learned to appreciate each and every day for what it is and what it brings. I do see the weekends as a time to recharge and reenergize myself and get connected with friends and family. But the workweek is accepted and appreciated too for it IS valuable in its own right.
So, stop wishing your life away! Make a commitment right now to start your day off with a burst of energy! Follow the steps I outlined above and let me know how it works for you too.
Our lives are so precious (and so are each of us) and we should endeavor to enjoy every minute of it and be grateful for the blessings we do have.
Peace and Blessings,
