Day # 146 – Starting the Day Right

I am an early riser, this much has been established. However, this doesn’t mean I bound out of bed and immediately start doing a million things. I tend to lay in bed in the dark for a while each morning, alone with my thoughts. This can be a dangerous thing if one’s not careful about it.

Often my mind wanders in all the wrong directions. I allow the silence to whisper negativity into my mind and my thoughts turn angry or self-defeating. I think of myself. I think of the challenges I expect to face; I exaggerate those challenges and turn what will almost surely be a walk in the garden into the Bay of Pigs.

This is something I have been struggling with for a long time. My hyperactive imagination, coupled with a tendency to dramatize things and be negative, plants seeds of my self-destruction. If I allow this to happen then surely, I will never reach my potential and I will never have a good day.

So I am changing my approach. Rather than thinking of myself or the day ahead, I think of the people I love and I call on God’s blessings for them. I pray for their health, their happiness, their success. I think of all the good things in my life and all the good things that are yet to be. That’s right, I daydream. I envision my day going well. I see myself as very productive, making the right choices in every situation I face. I see my children succeeding at every activity they undertake. I see my parents healthy and vibrant. I see my relationships blossoming.

Rumi said, “the morning breeze has secrets to tell you; do not go back to sleep.” I take advantage of this time to listen to God, in the form of the silence of the morning, and try to gain his wisdom. For too long, this was a time of torment. Now, I am learning to turn it into a time of meditation and prayer and worship. It’s quality time with myself and with God. Try it.

Lessons:

-Decide that you are in control of your thoughts.
-Decide what your thoughts will be and let nothing else in.
-When the negative creeps in, tell yourself that this is not acceptable and steer your mind in the right direction. Do this over and over again if necessary. Soon, it will be a habit requiring no thought.

Make it your best day yet. God bless you.

- Adolfo