make each day count | Cherie Roe Dirksen

“I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

You may be good (or in the above case not) in bed but how good are you at rising? Right, now that I have your attention…

Are You a Morning or a Mourning Person?

I love to sleep in (don’t we all?). But at some point of the morning one has to muster up the pluck to actually get out of that nice warm bed and brave the cold/the kids/the untidy house/the boss/the traffic/the kitty litter/(insert general problematic encounter here).

As I was lying in bed this morning, blearily preparing to pry open my eyes, I started with my morning ‘head banter’. I then realized that my thought process on this fine and sunny morn would make for a titillating blog (always capitalizing on my life!).

If you are one of the lucky few (0.001% of the global population) who eagerly jumps out of bed at the crack of dawn with a glint in your eye and a spring in your step — bully for you! However, even you may glean value from what I’m about to divulge.

“You will start to see just how incredibly powerful you are as a creator of your experience.”

Here it goes, my list of morning motivating muses:

1. How Do I Want Today to Turn Out? As Will Pharrell sang, ‘It might seem crazy what I’m about to say, Sunshine she’s here, you can take a break. I’m a hot air balloon that could go to space. With the air, like I don’t care, baby, by the way…Because I’m happy‘ — try to start your awakening mind rolling in the direction of a positive affirmation, like telling yourself just how bizarrely splendid today is going to be. Hell, it could be the best damn day of your life!

Let your thoughts steamroll with the idea of having good things happen to you on this day. If you have something to do today that you are dreading or feel uneasy about, now is your chance to manipulate that situation to how you want to see it play out. If it is a dreary task or something with unavoidable lackluster, tell yourself that it is going to go quickly and smoothly so you can get on with something fun afterwards.

2. How Is Today Going to Look? As you lie under your cozy covers, start to visualize this splendid day — make a movie in your head. Start to see how you want it to pan out — direct, director!

You can draw it out with a detailed synopsis or you can conjour up a quick run-through. Just remember to see yourself smiling and laughing a lot. Have copious amounts of ‘good times’ squeezed into this productive day.

Whenever I do this visualization technique, it really does affect how my day starts to unfold (for the better). You will start to see just how incredibly powerful you are as a creator of your experience.

“You’re only as excited by life as how exciting you can be…”

3. Who Do I Want to Be Today? Express yourself! You’ve got to ‘dress for success’. Jeez, I feel like I’m writing about Pop songs here. This may seem like a bit of a strange and unspiritual thing to put in this article but I’ve only just started seeing this from a new perspective. Men, this applies to you too. There is nothing wrong with expressing how you feel or your personality externally and it is becoming more and more acceptable for men to convey this type of sassy style and creativity.

I can also get into the rut of ‘dressing for comfort’ but have recently realized that it can get uber boring! I’ve been exposed to the delights of that online ‘visual’ feast site,Pinterest and, oh boy, have I got some fashion ideas! It can really broaden your style horizons (and I could do with a bit of that). After brain-storming, I have taken my existing wardrobe and fallen in love with it due to a few tweaks and accessories. I now dress according to my mood.

I could be a rock chick one day, a jeans and t-shirt girl the next, a sweet-16-and-never-been-kissed maiden (yeah, right!) to a sophisticated business woman — anything goes where the mood flows (and, yes, I can also just be in a sweat- pants and jumper mood).

It’s heaps of inventive fun! To add even more pizzazz to this daily routine, I sometimes tease my hair and stick it up in a beehive like Elvira or create a rat’s nest, for those of you who can cast your minds back to the ‘80’s, looking like Kim Wilde or Bonnie Tyler. As the saying goes ‘change is as good as a holiday’. My husband has a good chuckle on these ‘hair’ days when he sees me emerging from the bathroom after hearing the spray can at work. However, the main thing is to please and dress for yourself — if other people don’t have the guts to go a-la-mode, don’t let it put you off your pursuit.

Don’t take yourself too seriously either — experiment with your individual taste and mood and make this about fun. This is just another way of spicing up your life and getting creative. You’re only as excited by life as how exciting you can be or, to put it simply, exciting is as exciting does. You have a corporeal ‘Earth Suit’ while you are incarnation — you may as well use it to have some shits and giggles. Just remember when you look good, smell good and feel good — you exude confidence, which is key to having a good day.

4. What is the Soundtrack of Today? This is my favourite step of the feel-good program — figuring out what musical mood I’m in. When I make up my mind, my toes are already itching to hop out of bed.

After having your first cup of the day accompanied by catching up on the latest articles on Lightworkers World (*wink*), music can be a terrific motivator — especially when you are doing something mundane like housework or on your commute to work.

Put on that Queen greatest hits CD and hoover to ‘I want to break free’ or plan what music to listen that will elevate your mood whilst on your way to work. I actually cannot do the dishes without having some form of toe-tapping tune on the stereo. Spoons make for great pretend microphones and dishcloths can be stretched to make great air guitar solos.

When I’m driving, what I’m playing over the system has a tremendous effect on how jovial my trip is. Seriously though, music has a tendency to make things better and kick-start your day. Combine a cup of coffee or ginseng tea with Jimaroquai and you will be instantly transformed into a Duracell bunny.

I hope these tips works for you! Please do share your thoughts or successful morning rituals in the comment area below.

Original article written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Lightworkers World