What’s the first thing you do every morning?
No, not that.
I mean, to what do you pay attention?
Believe it or not, your first focus of the day tends to set the tone for the rest of the day.
My late mother-in-law used to say, "If you wake up killing snakes you'll be killing snakes all day long."
Ok, well, I appreciate country wisdom as much as the next person...but, you get the meaning.
First thing in the morning I do some stretches in bed. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not doing some sort of heroic workout...I'm just doing some simple movements to (at 67) make sure all the parts are working.
Then, I sit on the side of the bed and, out loud, say, “Thank you.” And, “It’s going to be a great day.”
Now, let's be honest; sometimes neither phrase comes out very enthusiastically, but it’s a positive start.
What could you see, hear, say, feel or think that would start your day off in a positive way?
I have a friend who does a meditation; I tried that and immediately went back to sleep...sitting up.
I tried the early morning workout...3 times...and I distinctly remember thinking on the way back home after the last one, "Just shoot me."
Over the years we all come up with habits that get us out of bed in one way or another. Try a couple of things that are positive and see what works.
One other thing I do is check out Pinterest.com before I go to bed. I search, "Positive Quotes" and read one or two before retiring, so I'm setting my mind in a positive way.
Then, in the morning, right after I do the "Thank you," and "It's going be a great day," I check Pinterest again for another positive quote.
Here's what came up this morning, "Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every now and then or the light won't come in," by Alan Alda.
Maybe it's time to give your rise-and-shine routine a little scrubbing.
