Ever since the kids were little, I’ve always woken them up by saying with the absolute most amount of drama and excitement I’m able to muster at an early hour, “Guess what!?! Did you hear!?! TODAY is going to be the best day of your entire life!”
It’s actually a great way to wake up. You’re still so foggy and vulnerable that you could be told, basically, anything and would believe it.
And, while the message behind it is so genuinely wonderful, I sometimes think it sets even me off on a road to disappointment. Because, the intended message is that every day we wake up is an exciting opportunity to start fresh, take advantage of your own unique potential, and discover a greatness in yourself that you’ve never even known to exist.
However, that message can easily be confused with an expectation that everything is going to just arrive perfectly on your doorstep all day. People will have gotten the memo and your family will start cleaning up after themselves, you’ll feel like a sexy, fit, and supple leopard during your workout, and you will start craving kale and cod liver oil instead of tortilla chips and wine.
That, my friend, is exactly what it sounds like: a completely unrealistic dream that has no chance of coming true in the real world. Heading into your day with that kind of expectation is like the emotional equivalent to starting your day with a cigarette and a shot of whiskey. You’re setting yourself up for failure.
We know our neighbor is going to say something totally negative and closed minded. We know our family member is going to make judgements about the way we run our household or how we are raising our kids. And, we know our bodies are going to feel like dog shit until we spend 35 minutes warming up for a 10 minute workout.
How you internalize and how you handle these adversities determines whether today will be your day or not. Will you hit the pause button, take a deep breath, and quickly dig deep for your patience with people…or, will you react impulsively, say whatever those emotions pull out of your mouth, and assume they were in the wrong instead of finding your role in the matter?
Greatness has never just ended up in anyone’s lap. You carve out your own path. Just remember you must walk through some rain to find your rainbow.