This is one of my ten best mornings. That thought changed my life. It was a beautiful day and I was heading out the door to work when the thought crossed my mind. This is one of the ten best mornings of the year.
I stopped in my tracks. Ok, not literally. I still headed out to my car, put the key in the ignition and headed out. But mentally, I was stuck. Why, I wondered, was this such a great morning? I started to pick the last few hours apart. I’d woke up, had great coffee, meditated and listened to music while I dressed.
Making these things part of my regular routine was not a great intellectual leap once I’d uncovered this. Over the years, I’ve added to my routine, noticing what makes a great morning and what doesn’t. I can pretty much have a blast before work on any day I choose now. A great morning for me includes not checking my cell phone, sitting quietly on my cushion with my dogs curled up beside me, getting outside with one of them and walking or running – all accompanied by my favorite playlist. If I really want to have a perfect morning, I’ll eat breakfast on my deck and continue the music during my commute.
You build great mornings and days by noticing what’s working.
You can also build mental resilience – strong, positive thought patterns – by noticing what’s working.
How to work with positive events:
First off, we need to notice and celebrate the positive in our lives. Why not, right? We certainly pay attention to the negative.
Next – analyze what happened. Figure out how you were feeling at the time and what actions you were taking. Jot down what you were thinking. Replay the thought and double check it… when you think it again, does it give you the same feeling you had? If so, you have found the right thought.
Putting positive events through analysis is a very powerful activity. Here’s why: When you are really on, doing great and being your best self, you’re having feelings that feel great, you’re taking actions that pay off and getting great results. So figuring out what you’re thinking is really helpful. When things aren’t going well, we have to work hard to find believable ideas that we can use to help ourselves. Well, the stuff we’re thinking on a great day is exactly that – believable thoughts that work. It’s good to have them in our back pocket for when we need them.
So make sure to catch those thoughts like fireflies and keep them in a bottle where you can see them glow.
To learn how to slow down your thinking and catch the thoughts that work, book a free session with me – here.