Today is Going to Be a Great Day!

Imagine…you are having the best dream.  It’s fun, exciting, romantic, adventurous, (insert your own adjective here)!  You’re getting to the best part where all that fun, exciting romantic adventure is coming to a climax and….the alarm goes off, catapulting you back into the reality of dark, cold, and tired.  You look over at your alarm with your blurry eyes and let out a moan because it can’t be 6:00 already!!  Five more minutes, Mom!  You drag yourself out of bed and make your way to the kitchen where your coffee maker is already hard at work (thank goodness for timers on small appliances).  Now, you feed the dog, let him out, let him in, check on the cat, make your lunch for that day, fix some breakfast, check your email, check social media to see if anything worthwhile happened while you were asleep, maybe get to that daily devotion, take a shower, try and make yourself look presentable for the day, say goodbye to your hubs, and begin the commute to work.  Ok, well, these are all things that I would do in the morning.  Your list may look similar, plus or minus a few things.  

I know that I have gone through this routine hundreds, if not over a thousand times at this point in my life.  I have had mornings where the smell of my shampoo or one of my lotions brought back the anxious feelings I had while getting ready during harder seasons in my life.  I have let those anxious memories start me off on the wrong foot.  There have been mornings when the whole world was out to get me.  I tripped on the dog or stubbed my toe or cut my finger preparing food, or didn’t have hot water.  The list could go on.  I found myself to be in a rotten mood all day on those days.  No one that I encountered could do or say the right thing.  People probably started to avoid me (and I don’t blame them), but this just led me to feel even more whiney and absorbed in my own self pity.  Honestly, I didn’t like me on these days.

This last Sunday, I was sitting in church listening to my pastor speak and he said something fairly simple and profound.  He said you can start your day by saying “Today is going to be a great day.”  He said, you could even put “God, with your help” right before the rest of the quote.  But, even if you don’t, having a morning mantra like “Today is Going to Be a Great Day”, will help frame how you are going to see the world that day.  Now, is it going to cure all of those crazy things that happen to a person on a “no-good-very-bad day”?  No.  But, it may help you to look for the good things.  

I tripped over my dog and stubbed my toe….OW!!  (Through gritted teeth) “Today is going to be a great day.”  Maybe I will see the sweet look in my dog’s eyes, worrying that he is the one that hurt you or he’s trying to figure out how to help you.  What a precious friend!  I should be grateful for that.  

I get stuck behind the slowest driver that has ever driven on a day that I’m running 10 minutes behind….”get off the road, Grandma!!”  Take a breath and say “Today is going to be a great day.”  Realize that your car isn’t only running, but there’s gas in it and you are headed to a job that you really kind of like and I can choose to be grateful for that.

No matter how your day starts, take control of the reins and choose to say “Today is going to be a great day.”  Choose positivity.  Choose to put yourself in a better mindset.  Do it for yourself and others will notice and appreciate the positivity that is flowing from you!  Who knows, it might become contagious!

Have a great day!!