When you wake up in the morning, what are your first thoughts?
Do you get mad at the alarm clock for waking you up?
Do you say I didn’t get enough sleep?
Are you mad because you have to get up and go to work?
Do you complain about the sun being too bright?
Do you get mad at the birds singing outside your window?
How do you start your day?
I recently went on vacation with family. The theme was Rose-Colored Glasses (no, we don’t set themes, but this one just happened). You see, my sister gives me a hard time saying I wear rose-colored glasses all the time. She feels I do not look at things realistically; I am too positive all the time. :)
Just to be silly, she purchased several pairs of rose-colored (pink) glasses to give to the group while on vacation. Unbeknownst to her, I had done the same thing, so we had many pairs for each of us to choose from. [ha]
As I look back on my life, I have bounced between positive and negative times, but over the past year, I look at life through ‘rose-colored glasses’. I have found that focusing on the good in life, seeking the positive, invites in more good and changes your life.
I didn’t magically become wealthy or get a dream job, but I have found myself, many days, smiling for no reason. Feeling a true joy and peace. Being happy and content with my life. I have never experienced feelings like this before. Yes, I’ve had times that we laugh and are happy, but this is a different kind of happy. Lasts longer than a moment and feels more genuine.
If you feel you are in a negative place more often than not in your life, I challenge you to find rose-colored glasses and put them on. There is not much in this world we can truly control, but our minds, our own thoughts, we can. Each of us has the choice to find good or to see the bad in any situation.
It was explained to me like this, your brain is like a super computer and your thoughts are the programing. If you only acknowledge the negative, that is what you are programming your brain to see. Only you have the power to rewrite that program!
I am not telling you to block out anything that might be ‘negative’ in your world. In my family, our 2018 started rough and it challenged me. For example, my parents had surgeries and then got sick. For a few months, we were very worried about what would happen, and at times, we were in and out of emergency rooms every other day (it was scary). As well as, having financial and parenting struggles, and challenges at work that seem to hit when home life is stressful.
In every situation, I had a choice how I wanted to view it. I could have been ‘doom & gloom’ about it all, but instead, I choose to pray and thank God for all he has done. I continued to stay positive about the outcome of everything and to not focus on what could happen (the negative), but celebrate the, sometimes small, positive steps forward.
If you have trouble reprogramming your brain to see the positive, here are a few exercises to do to help make the shift happen in you.
MORNING PROGRAMMING: Start each day with 3-4 Thank You comments. Examples can be ‘thank you for a productive day’, ‘thank you for good conversations with family’ or ‘thank you for helping me to be more patient with co-workers’. These are comments about things you know you struggle with, but want to start being positive about and change for the better.
'I AM' STATEMENTS: Make a list of ‘I AM’ statements and say them throughout the day, out loud or to yourself. For example: I am confident, I am smart, I am lovable, I am open to change, I am beautiful, I am patient, I am healthy, I am a good leader. Even if you are not sure you believe it, say it anyway. And keep saying it. Remember, we are reprogramming our brain.
DAILY GRATITUDE: Keep a notebook or journal by your bed. Each night, write down five (5) things that made you smile that day. Examples can be things like how your pet made you smile with a silly thing they did, a hug or a message from a loved one or friend, even a funny show or video you watched or a good meal.
When I first started this work, I was skeptical. But I have seen this work with me, as well as, coaching clients. If you focus on the positive, more positive will enter your life. If you focus on the negative… yep, more negative happens.
Make a choice to wear rose-colored glasses and see how your life changes. You may not notice it that day, or in a week, but one day you will find yourself smiling for no reason. You will feel the joy, love and peace that I have felt. My wish for you is that you find your glasses and you never take them off!
Sending peace, love and joy to you my friend. Sam
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