+/-
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius
This writing is Certified Human
The Obstacle
An object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
We can easily start our day frustrated, anxious, or angry. It only takes remembering what failed, what was left undone, or what went wrong the day before to start us in a hole.
We can carry that throughout the day. That hangover of frustration and negativity can bleed into everything we do and everyone we interact with.
One email, text message, phone call, or social media post can set our trajectory in the wrong direction without us even realizing it.
We're in the negative, in the minus.
The Gift and Opportunity
An object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an outside force.
We can deliberately anchor our emotions, attitude, and well-being in the positive each morning. We can set a routine and make a goal for the day.
We can create an aspiration or practice for the day, something that anchors us in the positive.
Before we ever have a conversation, check email, text messages, social media, or interact with the outside world, we can anchor our inside world.
Each time the world comes for us, we can dip back into our practice and remain in the positive.
This can help our stress and performance, make us better to be around, and improve our relationships.
The Practice of Self-Mastery
• Anchor in the positive
• Notice the minus
• Set the day's practice
• Return when pulled off course
CHEAT CODE: ANCHOR → NOTICE → PRACTICE → RETURN
The Why
I wake up each morning and remember to anchor myself before the world comes after me.
As soon as I allow my brain to think, I begin to remember all the things left undone from the day before. I remember conversations, letdowns, and my own failures.
Without realizing it, I start a mental to-do list, creating stress, anxiety, and frustration from all the places where I have fallen short.
So each morning, before my mind reaches out, I intentionally pull it back.
I stay in my body, feeling my feet on the floor, petting the dogs, letting them outside, doing stretches and simple exercises, and setting my target for the day.
I decide how I will re-anchor and use whatever comes my way as a practice of mental fitness and self-mastery.
This way, I won't stay down long, and I can use any obstacles as opportunities to become stronger, perform better, and stay present in my relationships.
Subscribe To The Daily Journal For An EMAIL To Start Your Day
Made For Mornings | Built For You | Delivered Daily
