The First Moments of Your Day Set the Stage for Success or Struggle

By: Keith Renninson
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:41:51
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher |

Rating:

 

Have you ever noticed how some days you attack your job with passion and others you couldn’t care less if you showed up? What causes the different perceptions? Lately, I have come to the firm conclusion that it is the first thoughts you experience as you waken in the morning and how you treat them.

Over my lifetime I’ve had to battle a very palpable sense of fear upon waking, and if I didn’t eliminate it from my mind before rising it would often follow me throughout my day.

Our perception of what lies ahead during a new day can be adjusted by training ourselves to see the new day, the new tasks or challenges as exciting ways in which we get to express ourselves rather than looking at them with dread.

Inspiration can be created within or you can borrow it from someone else. Many people use others who have overcome difficult situations in life to succeed to inspire them in times of distress. Lance Armstrong is a great example for me since I still race bicycles at 58; he is one of those amazing people that I can call upon for help in my moments of emotional distress.

As you probably already know, Lance overcame testicular cancer, which had spread to his brain and lungs to go on to win the Tour de France an unprecedented seven times. When I see the TV commercials in which he is shown training alone in the mountains on a cold and rainy day, I know the physical pain that he endures. Anyone who trains long distances on bicycles experiences that pain. Yes, some of what he does is fun, but doesn’t that apply to your day too?

But, how many of us had to do it after battling cancer for a couple of years? Most of us are very lucky and have never had nor will ever have cancer, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have our individual demons to slay. Here is where inspiration is borrowed from others that have won their battles and persevered.

As I awaken each morning, I try to have a good thought right away. I want to establish a positive train of thought which will set me up to be excited about the next 14-18 hours of life. If I open my eyes and have a twinge of fear regarding the challenges that await me, I think of Lance, the pain of rising and pushing his body through eight grueling hours of bicycle training.

We all face similar same things; it is our perceptions that vary. Perceive them well and your day will go well, perceive them poorly and you will struggle…there is no doubt about it.

Make the first moments of your day as positive, full of excitement and expectation as you can and you won’t believe the way your day will unfold. People will treat you differently. Your job will go easier than usual. New prospects will reveal themselves, and you will happily whistle your way through the day.

It is said that it takes twenty-one days for humans to establish a new habit, try this idea for that number of days and see if you haven’t improved your life. If it works for you like it has for me, pass it along and help someone else improve his or her life.

In the end, it’s one man’s opinion…mine.

Article source: Expert Articles