Your perspective on your morning routine can seem simple, but it is actually incredibly impactful. Someone with a positive side will have enthusiasm and spread happiness, and it will seem like everything is going right, or is an opportunity for good things to happen. Whereas someone with a negative outlook or a negative mood will be unhappy and think that everything Is going wrong, and might unintentionally spread their rage with others. When I first heard examples of this, I felt that it was incredibly important and is impactful in our everyday lives, so I wanted to share examples to prove this impact. It is so easy to have a negative mindset about something and turn everything you do into a disastrous event.
Chris: A Negative Outlook
A man named Chris begins his day. He gets out of bed, dreading work. He hates the sound of his alarm – it’s so angry. It jolts him out of sleep, and he presses snooze three times, each time annoyed and tossing and turning. He finally goes on his phone until he swears and realizes he is going to be late. He is angry at himself for not realizing the time, and not going to bed on time. He wishes he had taken that other job that would have let him come in later. He gets up and looks out of the shades, and groans at the sight of the sun. Chris doesn’t like the heat. He silently complains about how hot it will be outside, and how it will make him even more flustered. He sees people outside and sighs again. More people, more things to get in the way of him getting to work.
He gets into the shower, grimacing at the cold water, and gets frustrated at how long the water takes to warm up, complaining to himself he shouldn’t have moved to this apartment, seemingly forgetting the fact that he is living there to save money for a better car. In the shower, he thinks about all of the things he has to do at work, overwhelmed at the thought, endless to-do lists swirling in his head. How is he going to get everything done? There’s not enough time in the day. He gets out of the shower and gets dressed, sifting through outfits. Nothing looks good. He should start going to the gym again. Even though he has lots of outfit choices, his favorite is in the wash. He forgot to do the laundry again. Of course, today is such a bad day already. He brushes his teeth, and the toothpaste runs out. Another thing, and of all days, today!
He rushes into the kitchen for breakfast, and he has no time to make something big. He eats a bowl of Frosted Flakes in a hurry, barely tasting it. He knows he will crash at lunch, but it doesn’t matter. Today is already a bad day, and one little breakfast change won’t make it better. In his hurry, Chris trips over his cat. He swears and the bowl crashes at his feet. He yells at the cat, sending her scampering under the sofa. She is always getting in the way, always under his feet, never leaving him alone. He cleans up the mess, angry at all of everything that has and will happen today. He is fuming from the extra burden, and rushes to grab everything and get out the door. He puts on a political radio podcast. He needs to stay up to date on everything happening in the world. He needs to stay updated because he feels like the world is crashing and burning. Why is everything so terrible now? Chris misses the old days, back when he was younger.
When Chris opens Maps, he sees a giant pileup on the highway, and groans. Why is everyone so irresponsible, always getting in accidents!? He begins to drive, speeding out of his driveway and down the road in a hurry. He beeps at all the slow people and throws up his “fist” at everyone getting in his way. He doesn’t understand why people aren’t more considerate and attentive, and why everyone is moving so slowly? Don’t people have places to be? When he arrives at work, he parks and walks into the office, scowling, barely noticing the people around him. Chris is lost in his negative thoughts. When he finally gets to his desk, he puts his head down, already drained from the morning, dreading the long day ahead filled with monotonous tasks.
A Positive Outlook: Maddy
A woman named Maddy gets up out of bed, smiling and ready to start the day. She chooses not to go on her phone, because she knows this will make her feel less stressed, and she gets up and opens the shades. She takes a moment and looks outside. It is warm outside today, and the sky is blue and the sun is shining. She doesn’t particularly like the warm weather but takes it as a sign of movement. There are people walking around outside and it makes her happy to see people around. She gets up and hops in the shower. It is cold at first, but she realizes that she is saving money living in this apartment, working to save up for her dream car. In the shower, she thinks about her day at work ahead. She thinks about all the things she must accomplish at work and begins to make a mental checklist. She is confident she can get them done.
Maddy gets dressed in an outfit that makes her feel confident. Even though her favorite outfit is in the wash, she picks her second favorite and repeats a positive affirmation she put on her mirror to uplift her for the day. No worries! She had a fun night out with friends last night. The laundry can wait till tonight and she’ll watch her favorite show. She brushes her teeth and the toothpaste runs out. She grabs another one from the closet easily. Then she goes into the kitchen to make breakfast. She prepares a nutritious omelet, knowing that this will give her the steady energy she needs so she won’t crash before lunch. She has the peppers and onions prepped beforehand, so that she doesn’t need to waste extra time chopping in the morning. She eats slowly, enjoying the food she is eating, and appreciating the flavors, trying to stay present in the moment. After eating, she accidentally trips over her cat, and drops her plate on the floor. Before reacting, she takes a deep breath and makes sure her cat is okay, then she whispers to herself that these things happen, and that her cat just wanted to be closer to her, because he misses her during the day while she is gone.
She cleans up the mess and continues with her routine. She then packs everything up and gets in the car, putting on her “upbeat tunes” playlist, and opens Maps. It is going to be a long drive, there is an accident on the highway and traffic is more than usual. She takes a deep breath and adds a few more songs to her playlist, putting some of her favorites to keep her spirits up. She reminds herself that someone is having an even worse day, being in that accident, and that by being in a rush or adding to the chorus of beeps on the road it can make someone else even more stressed or become a danger to others. As Maddy begins to drive and enters the traffic, she is looking forward to being able to look around at her surroundings and the trees and up at the blue sky instead of having to drive fast, and maybe opening a window to let fresh air in, because a slow highway means she can open her window. At work, Maddy smiles at her coworkers while walking to her desk, and sits down, ready to begin her day.
Both stories are the exact same. They both get ready, shower, eat breakfast, commute to work. However, Maddy has a positive outlook on the day, and gets to work feeling confident in her skills and ready to tackle the day, and Chris’s negative mindset leaves him drained and uninspired. It is equally okay to have both of those days, but the point of views in these stories help to remind ourselves that not everything is how it seems, and that one little thought during every action can make a difference in our whole lives.