Here is my report with practicing the mindfulness exercise of stating a positive expectation for the day upon waking whether the statement is — today will be a magnificent day or spectacular or stupendous or terrific or amazing or whatever you might actually say. I have actually been working on this particular Mindfulness Challenge for some time now. My personal experience has been that I am likely to forget to do it. Remembering is my biggest challenge.
When I do remember to make the statement upon first wakening, my day does become magnificent, spectacular, stupendous, terrific and amazing. It is really a magical formula for how to set a positive template for the upcoming day with the right intention.
My experience has been that if I don’t have this thought as my first thought, my thinking tends to rattle around in a somewhat negative vein. As I begin to get up out of the bed I may be thinking to myself,
“Oh my goodness, looks like it’s raining again today.”
That is not a positive thought or a positive statement. Or as I’m getting up I might be thinking,
“Boy, I sure have an achy back! My goodness, what did I do last night?”
Or, I might think to myself,
“That was sure a long nightmare that I had last night; oh yuck!”
These thoughts may sound familiar to you or not – but we all certainly begin our day with thoughts that are often negative. I’ve actually noticed (as I’ve become more mindful with my thoughts) that my thoughts at the start of the day tend to be much more negative than positive.
My experience has also been that when I remember to make my affirmation at the outset of the day, I set in motion a positive expectation. My thoughts all of a sudden spin in a positive direction. I’m thinking positively rather than negatively from the get go. My day is magnificent, spectacular, stupendous, terrific and amazing. I do notice a difference in how my day unfolds.
My experience has little to do with what is happening to me from circumstances outside my control. The difference is in the way that I respond to those circumstances even if I’m confronting something that is challenging or unexpected, I am able to take the blows in stride, shake them off and move forward to more positive experiences.
As you are well aware, our thoughts have a profound impact on our lives. Start each of your days with a positive thought. Discover that that then sets into motion an experience of more positive thoughts rather than the rattle trap of negativity which will drag you down into the gutter.
Give this challenge a chance, not just this week but for subsequent weeks. I say again I’ve been working on this now for some time and I am quite pleased with the outcome from actually doing it. In summary, it is simple to make a positive affirmation in the beginning of the day. It takes at most ten seconds out of your day. The real challenge is to remember doing it. Perhaps I have an unconscious voice deep inside that insists every day be horrible. I now prefer to override that voice before the day even begins.
May the rest of the days this week and may the rest of the weeks in the year be for you absolutely amazing.
Robert
© Parkinsons Recovery