Is your life busy, overflowing and just downright crazy, especially first thing in the morning? Have there been mornings when you have left in such a rush that you wished (in hindsight) you had taken a few more minutes to pull yourself together before heading out the door?
Me, too.
That’s why I do these 3 things before I leave each day (well, most days…)
Look Behind You
It is easy to forget that you have a back side. You don’t see it unless you crane your neck like a contortionist and make a serious effort to see what’s going on behind you. Let me assure you, others do see that side of you sometimes more than they see you face to face. So, it’s worth it to do a quick scan to avoid potentially embarrassing situations later on.
- Watch Your Back: Have you ever walked out of a bathroom with your jacket, top or, worse, your skirt hem tucked into your underwear? I have a friend who once walked all the way down her driveway to her mailbox and back with her skirt tucked up and her underwear exposed.You might also find a rip, stain or panty line you couldn’t see when you were looking straight ahead. Better to know these things before you leave the house when you can do something about them.
- Give Your Hair a Quick Brushing: I can’t tell you how many times I have stood behind people at the post office or grocery store who might have brushed the front of their hair, but the back of their hair still says bedhead. One swipe of the brush takes care of it!
- Watch Your Step: What about your heels? I know, it sounds silly, but other people see your heels when you wear sandals. Since we are now full ensconced in sandal season your feet (and that includes your heels) are highly visible. If they are all cracked and rough, it’s not a pretty sight (or good for your feet).
A quick look and 360 degree turn in a full-length mirror before heading out the house will nip all of these in the bud (or at least remind you to schedule (or do your own) pedicure later that day).
Check The Weather
Okay, okay! If you live in San Diego this one doesn’t apply to you. But for those of us with changeable weather conditions, it’s a lifesaver.
The saying in New England is that if you don’t like the weather wait five minutes and it is true. Just the other day our temperature dropped 30 degrees and the humidity did likewise in the matter of an hour. If you were caught off-guard you suffered. Hey, even in San Diego you might go into a restaurant, movie theatre or friends’ home where the temperature is different from outside. Being prepared makes you more comfortable.
Leave a note near the front door if you have to. Before stepping outside, do you need one of these?
- Umbrella
- Coat
- Sweater
- Scarf/Wrap
- Hat
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
Get an Attitude Adjustment
Have you ever had a morning where everything seems to go wrong? It’s as if you got up on the proverbial wrong side of the bed. It starts right away. You bang your knee on the bedside table, stick yourself in the eye with your mascara wand and spill toothpaste on your new blouse.
Phew…you wonder if the entire day will be like that. In which case, jumping back into bed and pulling up the covers seems like the only answer.
But, most of can’t do that and, to be honest, generally we don’t want to. We just want to have a lovely day!
And so you can…
All it takes is a moment’s change of attitude. The quicker you catch it the quicker your day will take a different, happier direction.
Just the other day I was in a hurry to leave to get to my workout (which I never completely want to go to anyway). I was filling a trash bag with very heavy trash and was rushing. I tripped over the threshold on my way out the door and banged my knee. My first thought was, “Great, so this is how the rest of my afternoon is going to go! And, I have to go workout on top of it. Will that make my knee feel worse…”
Ooops! I caught myself immediately. Stopped. Took a breath. And slowed down. I trusted that I would get to my workout in time and, more importantly, safely. And, that my knee would be fine. Other than a few black and blue marks, everything went smoothly as planned.
I know, however, if I had continued with the “Woe is me” attitude I would most likely have ripped the bag before getting it into the trash, hit annoyingly slow traffic on my way to the gym and been crabby and unhappy for the rest of the day.
This is one lesson I have learned over the years (often the hard way!). Like attracts like and I had to change my attitude if I wanted the rest of my day to be relaxing and easy.
So I did and it was.
The next time your day begins that way, take 30 seconds and try this:
- Stop
- Close your eyes
- Take 2-3 slow, deep breathes
- Picture how you would like the next 5 minutes to be and feel
- Open your eyes and continue as if that’s what will happen.
- Enjoy your day!
As Louise Hay says, “How you start your day is how you end your day.” You have control over how you respond and how you move through your day even when not so good things happen.
Just a few quick steps can make all the difference in how your day progresses, so why not make it happy!
2 Responses
Solid advice!
Thank you!