Happy Thoughts

You don’t need something depressing on a Monday morning, do you?  You need the energy to explode out of a filing cabinet drawer a la Hong Kong Phooey. You need attack!  You need zip! You need an exceedingly large mug of tea!

Just like the new year, I’m a big fan of Monday mornings.  OK, yes, I’m a freak, but hear me out.  This is mainly because I haven’t had chance to louse up the week yet, not because there’s something inherently brilliant about Monday.  Monday morning, whether it’s raining, bright sunshine or snowing for England, is something that I look at as being fresh and new, rather than it being another go-round of the same old same old.  It may be the same old same old (albeit just with a different date), but that’s not how I look at it.  I’m all about thinking positive!

Well, that’s the plan.

I would be lying to you if that was how I carried on throughout the week. It’s inevitable that as the week goes on and the stuff builds up, my shoulders droop that bit more, my feet don’t pick themselves up as high as they did and I’m feel about 10lbs heavier.  Thinking positive becomes more of an effort, but I try to do it every morning.  It’s become important to me.

I don’t really get annoyed and frustrated with other people anymore. I’ve realised that I’m not responsible for their choices in life and that it’s simply my responsibility to be the best person I can be; to you, to my friends and family and to myself.  I count myself as fortunate, because I really do know some wonderful people.  But I shake my head at some of the things people say to and about one another if what I see scrolling by on the wider social media is anything to go by.  Honestly, if I lived endlessly surrounded by that much unpleasantness and poor attitude, I’d be sticking my house on the market, moving away and getting myself a fresh set of friends.  People are the same everywhere, you say?  Have you considered that it might be you that’s the problem?  Just a thought there.

I’m not stupid, I know that (to borrow a book title from Meera Syal) “Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee”, but neither is it always a miserable episode of East Enders.  If you’re always going to post miserable things and unpleasantness, then that’s all that you’re surrounding yourself with.  Find something nice to say, compliment another person or see the good in the world. Watch David Attenborough, read a good book, or go and stand on the top of your nearest hill and look out at the view (ignore the incinerator).  The media may be trying to convince us that we’re all going to hell in a handcart, but honestly, we’re not.  Not this week anyway.  Some good exists in the world, you just need to get your head out of your backside and find it.

Yes, we all have down days. No, we’re not all insane morning people like me.  But it really is important that we’re aware of who and what we’re surrounding ourselves with.  Are you  surrounded by people that are pulling you down, or are they pulling you along and up?  There will always be one misery-guts, there always is.  But by and large, are you in a positive environment?  Is there at least one person who’s going to make you smile? Good!

If you find yourself in a negative environment and it’s starting to come out of your mouth, then that really isn’t going to do you any favours.  If you do one thing in any situation, then change your attitude.  Changing your attitude and thinking positively is not a remedy for everything, but take it from me, it can make all the difference in how you think about yourself, your job, your relationships and the difficulties that you find yourself in.  A good attitude and bit of positivity can mean the difference between staying stuck and getting out of that mire. OK, it may be a long struggle, but you will get there and I bet you’ll get there all the sooner.

Have a great day!