The birds are singing, the sun is shining… what a glorious day to be alive! How often do you feel like that when you wake up? To be truthful, I don’t say or feel that way nearly enough. Most work days begin with this thought for me: “Shit. I have to get up”. Not a very productive way to start a morning. Yeah, maybe work sucks, but if you open up the scope of your life and focus on everything that’s around you, your attitude can change.
Let’s take my example above. What happens when you wake up and immediately think of what’s wrong with your day? Maybe you rush to get showered and out the door so you can get to work. Your irritable, easily frustrated and just generally dumpy. From the get go, you have set yourself up to think about and therefore notice all aspects of your day that are not… divine. By the time you get off work, you’re exhausted and tired and- well, still dumpy. So, you go home and instead of having the energy to do things that would add joy to your life you end up sitting on the couch with a bag of Frito’s watching TV.
What about the reverse? You wake up, look outside and realize it’s absolutely beautiful (even bad weather can be beautiful). Maybe you think about how lucky you are to have a nice place to live, a steady job, great kids, or just the fact that you get to be alive today… whatever it is, this feeling of being grateful and happy means that you will spend your day noticing and appreciating all that’s right in your life. Driving to work isn’t frustrating because you refuse to let crazy drivers and traffic ruin a good mood. This good mood increases efficiency to the point that you end the day feeling really satisfied with what you accomplished. The workday comes to a close and you drive home energized and excited that now it’s your time. For some of us, we go to the gym or meet up with friends. In any case, the positive attitude you woke up with carries you through the day.
The point I’m making here is that everything is attitude! The two hypothetical days were the same day. The same bad and good things happened. The only difference is perception. In one case you wake up in a bad mood, and that bad mood inevitably sets you up to see all the negative aspects of that day. Conversely, waking up happy just to be alive puts you in a frame of mind to see the good in your life. This is the first step towards making lasting change in your life. How can you accomplish anything when you feel bad? If you’re drained and tired and dumpy, the motivation is not there to go above and beyond your current situation to create a new one. You can read personal development blogs and books all you want, but reading won’t make the change happen. Your attitude will.
For me, real change requires inspiration. A lack of positivity in my life creates the opposite of growth. The happier I am, and the better my attitude is at the start of the day, the better my day goes and the more I accomplish. This is what I believe is the most important aspect of personal development. It all begins with the first 10 minutes of your day. It’s your choice to make your day great, just as it is your choice to be dumpy. Remember that the next time your alarm goes off. Here are some suggestions to get you moving towards a positive attitude in the morning:
Making your first 10 minutes the most important time of your day each morning WILL make a difference in your life. The more days you do it, the easier it gets to wake up already with the right mindset.
Personal Development Bloggers Unite! by bluskygirl on September 17th, 2007
I've been following the Personal Development Blog list over at Priscilla Palmer's blog for quite some time, and today I was added to it.
10 Reasons to Eliminate Stress from Your Life by bluskygirl on August 13th, 2007
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Why You Should be Your Own Financial Adviser by bluskygirl on August 3rd, 2007
If you're single, then chances are you're well aware of your own finances.
How to Dig Yourself Out After Hitting Rock Bottom by bluskygirl on August 14th, 2007
If you read any personal development media you may be familiar with the idea that what you think about will become your reality.
How Young Are You? by bluskygirl on September 19th, 2007
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I love traveling. If I could make a career out of it I would. Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with a way to enjoy a career of travel while still enjoying a career of motherhood. Most of us I think tend to get away for a week here or there. Sometimes though it can be hard to get away for that long. Maybe it’s money, time at work- whatever. The fact is though, there is a good reason to get away. We all need it for our sanity. So, what about just a weekend getaway? I am big on weekend traveling. Love it. I am fortunate to live in Colorado, because just an hour or two driving west from where I live dumps me in the heart of the Rocky Mountains where I can camp, boat/water ski, hike, rock climb, snowboard, etc. This weekend I’m traveling to Salida, CO. It’s an “old west” town with a penchant for music, art and outdoor sports. It’s so nice there. My excitement this morning got me thinking, everyone should do this! It’s just a weekend, so it’s doable for nearly everyone. Here are my top ten reasons to get away for the weekend:
SO there you have it; as if you needed 10 reasons to take a weekend trip! Do some searching and find something that’s not to far from where you live (but still far enough away for it to feel “foreign”), pick an activity and then jump in your car on Friday afternoon. I truly value my little getaways, and I think everyone should incorporate them into their life. Happy Friday….
**Photo of Pagosa Springs, CO.
If I Were President by bluskygirl on October 18th, 2007
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As a woman, I am aware everyday of my body. As an American Woman, I am particularly aware of its flaws. My awareness begins when I wake up and put clothes on, then repeatedly throughout the day when I eat. It can sometimes be overwhelming to be expending so much energy on something such as this, but it is nevertheless, a huge part of my day.
I would never claim to know what or how all women think, but most of the women I know are just like me; Forever fighting an ongoing struggle to be or look like someone we’re not. It’s a difficult habit to break too, because we are inundated with images that remind us of what we “should” look like.
In the last two weeks, I’ve started to become far more aware of how much energy it takes to worry about and think about my body image and the need to change it. Last week, my focus was on just not thinking about it any more. Eliminating it as a focus in my daily life was an incredible change. Until it was gone, I had no idea how much time I spent feeling guilty. I began to wonder how long I have been dieting, and I realized that since about 7th grade, I have never stopped. Yikes. Needless to say, it was an uplifting experience.
This week I have focused on acceptance. Realistically, I have always known in my heart that no matter how much fretting and dieting and worrying and anger and guilt I put on myself about my body, I’m never going to fit the American image of a woman. Personally, the older I get the less I want to. I don’t really want to weigh 80 pounds and walk around with my hip bones poking out of my jeans. This is something I think all women realize deep down somewhere that they are unique; the trick is being proud of the uniqueness rather than punishing yourself for it. Bringing it into your conscious thought is difficult though because we have years of programming that tells us we are unacceptable.
Here’s how I have changed my thinking. I remind myself in the morning that this is Me, and this body is mine. There’s a line from the movie The Secret that I often think about. It is the idea that our life today is a residual of our past actions and choices. I remind myself that while I accept myself today exactly as I am, I am also making choices today that will affect my tomorrow- that I am living today to improve my tomorrow. Making this daily assertion allows me to make proper, healthy decisions about my life; whether its about body image or attitude or something else.
In this way I have learned to think different- not just about my body and my body-image, but to also successfully believe what I’ve always known: that my body is what it is and getting caught in the trap of trying to be something akin to a Cosmo magazine is neither healthy nor realistic. You see, even though I knew this, there was programming going on in my brain that still made it difficult for me to truly believe. So, here I am today. I am less stressed out; I feel no guilt for eating a bowl of oatmeal in the morning; I spend almost no time thinking about food or dieting; I feel free.
Earlier this week, Goddess was tagged to participate in the Think Different Challenge by Peter at I Will Change Your Life. Visit Peter’s site for information on how to participate. I tag the following:
So, here’s to thinking differently. Thanks to Peter at Iwillchangeyourlife.com for the great idea, too.
10 Reasons to Eliminate Stress from Your Life by bluskygirl on August 13th, 2007
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Personality Tests: Do they really work? by bluskygirl on September 9th, 2007
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Making Changes by bluskygirl on August 24th, 2007
How is it so easy to find yourself stuck helplessly in a rut of life? One day you wake up, drive to work, do the same things you've been doing everyday for what seems like an eternity and you wonder, "How the hell did this happen"? Is this really what the rest of my life is going to be, because if waiting in the line at the Starbuck's drive-thru on my way to work is the highlight of my day, then something's gone seriously wrong.
The Daily Grind: How Do We Make it A Happy Grind? by bluskygirl on September 11th, 2007
I picked up a blog post today that I thought was worth sharing.
How to be Happily Single by bluskygirl on August 1st, 2007
Being single used to be a temporary state for me.
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So, what do you do when you feel like there are too many things on your plate? I am continually plagued by this problem; just not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Typically, the best thing you can do is simplify. Get rid of the things you’re doing that aren’t bringing you joy and stick with the good stuff. In real life though, that isn’t very realistic. For myself, I do “too” much because the only way to simplify my life right now would be to get rid of the things that I enjoy- this blog, for instance.
Here are some other ideas that might help you to simplify a little bit, and start recharging, rather than running around on empty.
If none of these work for you, then you might be lucky enough to live where there is daylight savings… I can promise you an “extra” hour is coming your way in the near future.
How to Get Ready For Winter by bluskygirl on September 24th, 2007
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I have known for sometime that I am not quite where I want to be. I visualize a path… my path, and I can see it so perfectly in my mind. It is beautiful, harmonious, peaceful and full of joy. I am not on that path. I have somehow deviated from it, and so while I see it just to the left of me, I am trudging my way through thick brush, mud, and ducking out of the way of low hanging branches. I think everyone has a path… a flow of life that is in harmony with their soul. I believe that if you are on that path, life is a wonderful journey. Will there be the inevitable “downed tree” or pot hole on your path, of course, but that’s a lot better than tree bashing and fighting through the whole journey. Some people are fortunate and find their way early in life. Other people don’t find it until they’ve been on the wrong one long enough to realize where they are. Sadly, I have known people who appear as though they’ll never find what they’re looking for. It’s easy to get distracted and caught up and busy and ___ and pretty soon you don’t even know how you got to where you are. Think about a college degree. How many people do you know who work in their chosen degree field? I don’t know very many. I think it’s difficult to know what your path is when you’re 18, 19, or 20. I mean, my priority at that point in my life was making it to the weekend so I could party, and I’m pretty sure that isn’t my life path.
I work in the environmental industry, and it happens to be my chosen field. However, my intentions for using my degree are not even close to what I’m actually doing with them. I had this grandiose plan to be a field research scientist, studying rivers and fresh water systems, improving ways to utilize technology that would help to preserve this precious resource. Really, I wanted to wake up everyday and feel like I was doing something to better the world; something that went beyond boosting the economy. My job, which I will say that I am grateful for (it’s really a good job), does not leave me with the feeling that I’ve produced something meaningful. The most meaningful thing that is produced by my current employment is a paycheck. To me, that’s just uninspiring.
So how do you know if you’ve lost your way? Well, besides the resounding “off” feeling that you might carry around with you,
Why is this important? Beyond the joy of doing something everyday that inspires you (whether it’s helping the world or not), finding your path can increase your success. I truly believe that the most successful people in life are where they are because they’re following their path… their path has the least resistance to happiness, income, love and everything else.
I think we often find our path again during times of great hardship. When things are ok… when the status quo is functioning, it’s much harder to put yourself out there and decide to turn your life upsidedown. Whether it’s a job or a relationship, it’s easier to just get by with the way things are because what’s familiar seems safe and easy. But, when things have already gone haywire, readjusting your direction to get back on the right path doesn’t seem like such a stretch. This week, I was warned that lay offs are a possibility in the near future. I was so scared earlier this week, but as days have passed I’ve realized that if I were to get laid off, I would utilize it as an opportunity to discover something new. Just the idea has made me rethink some things about life. I came to realize that much of what I’m doing every day is just fulfilling the status quo, and that’s not exactly what I had in mind. I’m not talking about leaving my job per se, but I am talking about spending some time to reflect on what aspects of my life can be improved so that I can begin to travel the path of least resistance again.
If you find yourself relating to the 5 tips, it might be time to examine what you want our of your life, and whether you’ve somehow ended up off-track. Only you know where your path is in relation to your current direction; it’s up to you change course.
What Are You Worth? by bluskygirl on October 8th, 2007
Do you know what your worth? Do you think that what you're earning at your current job is equal or more than your worth? If you don't know, here are some tips to figure it out.
BURN, Baby Burn... the Problem of Workplace Burnout by bluskygirl on September 14th, 2007
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When I Grow Up... by bluskygirl on October 5th, 2007
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The Daily Grind: How Do We Make it A Happy Grind? by bluskygirl on September 11th, 2007
I picked up a blog post today that I thought was worth sharing.
How to Feng Shui Your Office by bluskygirl on August 24th, 2007
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