What is the first thing you think when you awaken each morning? Is it pleasant or do you start dreading the day? Is it positive or do you worry? Is it happy or do you recount wrongs done to you?
The first thing you think can influence your whole day. Think positively, and you will start with good feelings. Cogitate on negative things and you just may be in a bad mood all day.
Why not consciously create a morning thought in advance? Our mind is obedient and will follow our training. Training our brain is how we learn skills. Thinking positive thoughts regularly is a valuable skill to develop as it allows us to feel better, we are physically healthier, and people enjoy being around us.
Consider these possibilities to brighten your day:
- Create a new habit
- Focus on a specific task
- Spark goal motivation
Some important things to remember in formulating your morning thoughts are:
- Is it true? Both your unconscious as well as your conscious minds are clear about untruths, and will rebel at lies, hampering your success.
- Is it realistic? It would be preferable to be something you can accomplish that day. Perhaps it is a yearlong project you are working on, but there is something you can do that very day to progress the goal.
- Is it simple? Hey, your brain is just waking up, and doesn’t get complications immediately. Don’t confuse it. Formulate your morning thought in a familiar and pleasant way.
- Does it empower you? This whole idea is about empowering you to do or be more than you are. Be careful to uplift and inspire yourself.
- Is it easy to remember? Choose an easy phrase to remember so that you will be able to use it often.
I like to write mine down on sticky notes and put them on my shower curtain and on my bathroom mirror before I go to bed. It’s useful to think your morning thought before you go to sleep. Then, I encounter the chosen thoughts first, instead of whatever else might run through my creative brain. It also prepares me for meditation.
You may want to do it that way, or if you wake with your iPhone, set it up there. Just be sure it is one of the very first things you see.
You might consider one of these phrases or a variation of the same:
- I choose to live this day to the best of my ability in terms of excellence and productivity.
- Today, I will be optimist (one I am working on right now due to the state of our country).
- Today, I commit to exercising for at least 20 minutes (or 30 minutes or an hour, etc.)
- I am in charge of how I feel, and today I choose happiness.
- I expect to be successful in all of my endeavors. Success is my natural state.
- I will finish that contract today and it will be excellent.
- I have healthy boundaries with my partner.
Once you begin this simple practice, watch for results. Is your mood better during the day? Are you more motivated? Do you experience a reduction in stress levels? Are you getting better results? Be a self-observer to note differences.
Keep the same statement for a while or get a new one each day. I like to ride one until it is no longer needed or I am no longer responding to it. Then I choose a new one.
I am excited to share this tool for your life’s improvement. I’d love to hear how it works for you.