Today I come to you from the comfort of my home. It’s not everyday that I get to wake up and sip on my coffee in my big comfy office chair. Most mornings I’m up before the sun rises in my car to a clients’ home. But I don’t mind it, I love early mornings. It allows me to be productive, almost like a head start because I know there are not that many people willing to get up that early.
I wish I could say I was not always an early riser, but as far back as I can remember I have always been a morning person. But I think now I have a different mentality towards it. Back when I first started training, I got early because I HAD TO… for work. And while today I still get up early, I feel fortunate to be able to get up that early. Yes, I’m grateful. Mornings are incredibly peaceful for me. My mind has started to get overwhelmed. I’m able to truly plan the day I want to have. I’ll be honest though, there are some days where I could stay in bed all day, and I do. But for the majority of my days every week, it’s a feeling of gratitude.
I don’t know when the mentality changed for me, probably sometime after I realize that as a business owner, you get to choose. And knowing its my choice gives me some kind of special power. I think that is where the secret lies in living a fulfilled life, the power of a choice and knowing that it truly is yours to make. For many years I felt powerless in my life, I felt like I was in a rat race and I couldn’t keep up. It always felt like I was a step behind everyone else. The expectations to meet everyone else’s standards of who I should be or what I should have accomplished weighed me down. It wasn’t until a few years ago, I found some freedom from my mind. And while I still have to work on my daily moments of comparative reality, the times I spend there are much less.
You see, I have a problem with perfection and expectation. I hold myself to high standards and somehow “someone” keeps moving the finish line. I’m never satisfied with my own accomplishments. I never gave myself credit for how far I’ve come in my life. Until recently when a dear friend pointed it out and I really took the time to reflect. And not just reflect on my failures and mishaps I’ve had in my life, but celebrate the ALL of the good in my life.
I remember reading a book years ago, The Trophy Effect, by Michael Nitti. And while I understood the concept of the book, I never was able to apply it, deep enough to really feel good about myself. If you are hard on yourself, I highly suggest it. It’s taking me a few years to be able to apply it on a daily basis but it’s still incredibly helpful. No affiliate links, just my personal recommendation.
Anyway, back to my understanding that I can celebrate myself and then still desire more. I’ve realized that while I have done A LOT of self-development over the years, I still have a lot of work to do. And as I write that, a part of me says, “Ha, ya you still need tons of work…” and the side of me that is a little more forgiving reminds me that I have come along way already. It’s amazing to me how we can have two completely different perceptions of ourselves. It makes me laugh because nowadays, I can honestly say, I know I get to choose which voice I listen to, whereas before I would have only listened to the negativity side of my head.
It makes me smile to even write that knowledge. What a liberating feeling that I HAVE THE POWER TO CHOOSE WHAT I THINK. I’m a big fan of quotes and today’s writing reminds me of one of my favorites, “Life is 10% of what happens to us, and 90% of how we react to it.”
Yup, we have the power to choose how we feel about it all. WE can look at every thing, good or bad, and decide how do I want this to affect me? It’s our choice, so make it the one you want!