Or, why not have a better day!
If I told you that it was totally your choice, would you believe me? I am not here today to argue or persuade you to believe this but I am here to offer you a powerful tool. One that all of us already use, every single day. However, most of the time we are guilty of overlooking it, even while we are using it. A simple yet powerful tool to help your day get better.
Priming.
I learnt the practical aspect of this tool when I was a young man of around eighteen years of age. It was during my days of going out on a Saturday night with my friends to the local night club. It was where everybody went on a Saturday night and to some degree or other, got drunk, danced, chatted up potential partners. From 8.pm to 2.am. where it was the right of passage for the youth of my time, to let their hair down and have some fun. Most of the time these nights were just great fun and for our own safety, we always had a designated driver.
Then there would be the odd night, that was ‘flat’ or ‘nothing special’.
What was different?
I remember, very clearly, the memory of me getting ready to go out one Saturday. I realised it was laundry time, and my clothing choice was limited, to say the least. My favourite shirt and trousers were in the wash, my shoes just didn’t look right with these trousers and my hair was in desperate need of some professional help. When I looked in the mirror, I felt so deflated that I almost considered staying in. Feeling a little underwhelmed, I left for the evening. The entire night was a complete flop.
Then the penny dropped.
The following week, I remember standing in front of the mirror and having a kind of epiphany. Why did that other evening go so badly? Despite what I was wearing or how my hair looked. It was the same person inside the clothes, who went out that night and had a totally forgettable evening. So, could I have a great night out with my friends on any night? Thinking back to the night that flopped, it struck me that I was feeling like a flop when I left the house. In my head I was being very negative (think moaning teenager and you’ll get a better idea). I was priming myself that the evening would be a bad as I felt.
No surprise that it turned out to be true.
My Saturday nights were never a flop again.
First, I learned that getting my head into a good place before I went out, really helped. Secondly, I also realised that this newfound tool was applicable elsewhere in my life. College, study, interviews, Saturday job etc. Being able to choose a better mind set, before engaging with any task, has a real potential to dramatically affect the outcome. How many times have you have said to yourself, “My day can only get worse”. But also, think of those occasions when you may have said “This is going to be fun” or “I have a really good feeling about this”. The outcome is usually reflective of our thoughts at the outset.
Don’t just take my word for it.
Try it out for yourself.
To conclude, the loudest voice we ever hear, is our own. Check what it is saying, especially when we are about to engage with anything or anyone. The daily commute, dealing with the boss, talking to a family member, going for a job interview, going out for dinner with friends. Take a moment and prime yourself in a positive way. Being mindful of the negative ways in which we can also prime ourselves (Think ‘the inner moaning teenager’). Priming really is a powerful tool and if we choose to use it carefully, it can bring better things into our day, every day.
P.S. What would be one or two small things, that would make your day even better? Think about them and prime yourself!