When I woke up on Monday morning, I could already tell my day was going to drag. I seemed to be more tired than I was before I went to bed and I knew I had a million things to get done. Despite my assumption, while I was walking to class one of the school employees passed me in a John Deere Gator and I caught wind of an aroma that was exhaust mixed with freshly cut grass. Instantly, it reminded me of so many vivid memories from my childhood. Little glimpses like riding around on my grandpas lawn mower, my dad turning our playground slide into an at home waterpark, racing dirtbikes in my cousins back yard, planting flowers with my mom, and having to be home by the time the street lights came on were flashing through my head and I couldn’t help but smile. Not even kidding, I probably smiled for five minutes straight just thinking about how innocent and blissful those times of my life were. Then, I started to get angry at the fact that I had already woken up and decided I was going to have a bad day right from the start and I realized that there are so many days that I wake up feeling that way. To be completely honest, if it wasn’t for being reminded that there was a time when things were simpler, I probably would’ve had a dreadful day. However, it made me realize that life is really just how you perceive it. When you are a child you are less informed and you see the world through a protective lense so everything seems simple but as we get older we find out about the truths of the world and it steals our innocents. We need to be able to protect ourselves from the negative thoughts, particularly, when we wake up with a preconceived idea that our day is not going to be enjoyable. From the moment I passed that Gator, my day completely turned around. I decided that I was just going to take it one minute at a time instead of focusing on obligations for the whole day and I felt amazing. That being said I encourage you to find something that reminds you that the world is only complicated if you let it be. Take yourself back to when you were a little kid and simplify your seemingly, unmanageable day. Below I am going to list some things to think about when you are preparing yourself to have an unpleasant day from the moment you wake up.
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Find one thing (big or small) that you are looking forward to
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There are people who don’t even have the opportunity to do what you do
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You probably even dreamed of being where you are now
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Changing your perspective can change your life
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Be grateful just to be alive