Do not think before you answer this question
What was your first thought this morning…..?
Did you open your eyes and say to yourself “Already?! I JUST went to bed (or it feels like it) can’t I just stay in bed till….well until…where’s the snooze button?” or “I have SO much to do today. Get out of this bed! I have to get up and start doing, doing, doing!” or possibly your sleepy self said “How much longer am I going to have to go to this job? Why don’t I just leave? I’m so done with the people in that office! Why can’t I ever get ahead? I am always working, working,, working!”
Or……..you woke up very naturally a few minutes before you had to get out of bed and your first thought was something like, “MMMM I love my bed…it feels soo good. I feel so safe in this bed. I am so glad that I am using that blanket that my Mom gave me. It feels so soft on my body. I feel well rested and ready to enjoy others company today. I wanna have fun today. Actually, today is going to be a great day.”
More than likely, what you said to yourself was probably somewhere in between these two extremes. Well actually that is if you even remember what your thoughts were or were you on auto pilot….hmmmm I digress. If we are honest with ourselves we have all felt a little of all of these reactions if not the exact same ones. We all have good mornings and bad mornings. The more important aspect of the morning is how we deal with it.
The morning is like a new start every day if you look at it that way. It is the time of day that in many ways is the most sacred if you let it be. I posit to you that if you make a conscious decision to make the first few minutes in the morning your most deliberate and intentional time of your day, you will begin to create a vastly different life for yourself.
If you are feeling like your life is having a life of its own and you are just along for the ride, try changing or just being aware of the first 5 minutes of your day.
When we begin to calm or focus our spinning minds and thoughts first thing in the morning and direct them to feeling good things i.e.;”I love my bed…. I’m so happy that I was able to have that dinner with my good friends last night... I’m so happy that I put that picture I love on the wall so I can see it as soon as I wake up... I so much appreciate my mate sleeping next to me.” Etc… You set the mood for the day. You have awoken into the world with a purpose to feel good and that is what will happen if you focus differently. Our focus and therefore our experience of our lives begins to change in subtle and not so subtle ways.
Just think about it. On the days when you jump out of bed because you are paranoid that you will be late for work or on the other hand when you purposely stay in bed to avoid work, it’s on those days I can bet you were probably not at your best and even if you did accomplish some tasks, you probably didn’t feel particularly good. Am I right? Well, I know that I am right because I have been through it too!
There have been many a day when I have jumped out of bed in the exact manner that I just explained and gone the whole day crazy unconscious just to make sure that everything got done and before I know it, it’s time to sleep and start the vicious cycle all over again. But there have also been days where I would start out the same frantic way, get on the subway (with all the other frantics!) and realizing how frantic I really was, I would have suddenly stopped, sometimes literally physically stopped, took a breathe and realized I could make another choice in that moment. I could stay on that frantic roller coaster all day, or I could get a refund for my ticket and buy myself some calm, good conscious feelings. It was my choice. I could take a breath. The power of CHOICE, the greatest power we have…
If I had let myself get that far into my day and was able to notice my craziness I did my best I could to make another choice. It’s like that old commercial where the actor hits himself on the forehead and says “I could have had a V8!!!” I remember in that commercial and say “I forgot I could make another Choice!!” Then I would readjust and begin to focus on all the good that surrounded me in the moment (like the ability to make another choice!) and the good that will be happening during the rest of that day. In this way I have been able to circumvent a frantic spiral of crazy unconscious thoughts and emotions and realign with a positive path for my day.
I relay this example first of all because I think that it is very common as far as the crazy unconscious ways many of us walk through life, but more importantly to help you see how much easier it is if you have your “V8” moment in the security of your warm beautiful and safe bed. If we start to make our choices to have a good feelings and a fun day from that tender and powerful time right when we wake up, it is vastly easier and in the end will help us create a life full of good feelings and a sense of freedom of where we choose to focus the experience of our lives.
So my challenge to you is tomorrow, not to jump out of bed, but stay in bed for at least 5 minutes and notice all the things that you can feel good about. If it feels right tomorrow, try it again the next day. Who knows it may become a habit and you may actually mean it when you say “Good Morning!”
