Everywhere I go, people notice and comment on the fact that I’m an upbeat person. And they’re right. I feel good and positive almost all the time. Really. 

Sure, I have moments of setback and overwhelm just like everyone else, but what I’m talking about is the state of my typical, usual days. They’re happy, positive...plain ol’ great days. Wondering how I do it? 

First, you should know that it’s not by accident that I have good days the vast majority of the time. I plan to have good days, and I plan to feel great. The days are too precious to leave to chance. So I work at it. And it’s so worth the effort. 

I’ve developed some daily practices that keep me on a positive track.  

And those practices start the night before. Here are my top five practices for having a great day.

1. The night before, calm the nervous system. Pay attention to how you spend the last few hours before going to bed. If scary, dramatic movies give you fitful sleep, avoid that sort of thing. Figure out what is calming to you and do that instead. A cup of soothing tea, walking the dog, a lighthearted show…
2. Visualize the end of the coming day and feeling good about the day you just had. Visualize, in a soothing way, the projects, meetings, and conversations you’ll have in the coming day. Visualize what it will feel like to come home and relax after a productive day. Do you have a spiritual practice? If so, harness it during this time.
3. Get plenty of sleep. Go to bed early and get seven to eight hours of sleep.
4. Before you get out of bed in the morning, set your intentions for the day. Don’t get too granular here. Think big-picture intentions. This could involve meditation or a spiritual practice.
5. Finally, throughout the day, set high expectations. Pause before you do the next thing and talk to your unconscious mind about the outcomes you want to have. When you get congruent, you’ll be amazed at the doors that open for you. 

My clients and I have proven these techniques over and over again. They really make a difference! The quality of your days is too valuable to be left to chance. 

Thanks for listening!

 

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below
• Use the “I have a question” button
• Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn 

Links from today’s episode:

• Episode 1 -- We learned about the reticular activating system
• Episode 2 -- We learned about internal representations and perception is projection
• Episode 4 -- We learned about toward motivation
• Episode 32 -- We learned about chunking

 

To help out the show:

• Leave a positive review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews help, and I read each and every one.
• Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or Libsyn