You Walk Out Your Door,
Step On Dog Poop,
Now What?
Do you get taken hostage by your first bad encounter of the day?
It happens to all of us. You know what I’m talking about. You wake up and find the milk’s gone bad for that one cup of coffee you took the time to make. You walk out the door only to get bumped, okay, slammed, by someone walking down the sidewalk. The cashier at the coffee shop snaps at you. Or, yeah, the worst … you step in dog poop in your brand new shoes.
By the time you get where you are going you are on a rant, and those crappy encounters become the events that define your entire day. Everything else you do is stained by that encounter, ruining your day.
Ask yourself: Do you really want to lose an entire day because of someone else’s nonsense?
I was reminded of this recently when I walked out my door to go to a 7am appointment and stepped in … dog poop. I was on a schedule, could not be late, and well, I was furious, frustrated and wanted to ring someone’s neck. “Why can’t people just clean up after their freakin’ dog???”
Later in the morning I was still cranky. When I stopped to think about it, I realized that I was allowing the dog poop episode to hijack my happiness and wellbeing! After all, being angry impacts our health in a myriad of ways: mental health, emotional wellbeing, blood pressure, headaches, digestion, increased anxiety, depression, and even heart attacks and stroke.
Do you find yourself prone to allowing events to define your day? Here’s a simple, easy and powerful way to change that pattern. The key is to do it EVERY SINGLE DAY. Once it becomes second nature you will profoundly change your level of happiness on a daily basis.
Morning Intention Ritual
Upon Waking Up Before You Do Anything (no phone, email, don’t even go to the bathroom if you don’t have to):
- lie flat on your bed
- take three cleansing, deep breaths — I like the image of breathing in the new day, and breathing out everything that doesn’t serve it.
- set your intention for the day — Here’s mine: No matter what happens this morning, it will not effect the rest of my day. It happens in that moment and in that moment only. I will manage it and let it go. I will enjoy this day and create joy wherever I can.
- take three more cleansing, deep breaths
That’s it! Commit to do it for a week. I dare you! And, let me know the results. I’d love to hear.
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Love it!
It seems to me that, when my attitude takes a hit like that, I attract all sorts of ugly stuff to go along with it. Unless of course I find a way to notice and break the cycle right away. Thanks.
Andrea, you are so right! It becomes a self-perpetuating “bad stuff” fest. Noticing and breaking the cycle right away is key. Good for you!
I did it twice in two different spots one after just cleaning up the other! Can’t let this shit ruin my day, wipe it off and throw it out in the trash. Makes perfect sense..although just being told would have been less swishy!😉
You are so right, Melissa! Can’t let it ruin your day! What a great attitude. Have a beautiful day 🙂
Melissa,
This is so true, and something that we all struggle with each day. I appreciate you breaking down the morning intention ritual into small steps that everyone can follow. Having a ritual to start the day can help put everything into perspective.
You are so welcome! I am happy this serves you and look forward to hearing how it makes a difference for you on a daily basis. You’ve got this!
Melissa thank you for your insightful article. It all begins with how you set the tone for your day…with conscious loving intention or unconsciously letting the day’s events take over. Loved this blog post! Blessings
“…with conscious loving intention or unconsciously letting the day’s events take over.” Love that! Thank you sharing your thoughts, Debra.
“Now what?” is the moment-of-pause, when we have the choice to go with the downhill spiral or to take a deep breath and go for the bigger picture. Thanks for pointing to the choice we have and for the easy way to set our tone every day!
“the moment of pause …” What beautiful imagery. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Hi Melissa!
Thanks so much for sharing your Morning Ritual. Oprah said, “Intention rules the world.” and it’s SO true. You’ve shared a powerful practice to make sure that it’s our intentions, and not our circumstances, that rule ours!
xxoo
I LOVE morning ritual time……i typically clear my subconscious dream ideas by writing them down quickly. Then, do as you say lie on my back taking deep cleansing breaths and call upon my Angels to support me during the day….asking them to be in front of me, behind me and all around (I also do this when getting into my car!) Just those 5 minutes allows for flow for most of the day!!!
YIKES! 🙂 What a wonderful post about transitioning crap (literally and figuratively!) – Thank you for the reminders!
Yikes, indeed! Have a happy day, Kimberly. Thank you for your comment 🙂
It comes down to responding or reacting. We can respond to the day with love, peace, wisdom and power or react with fear and stress. Giving our power away does not serve anyone except the energy dog poo vampires that thrive on weakness. You sure don’t want to be stepping in dog poo in those brand new shoes! Great article Melissa and love your morning ritual suggestions.
Such a thoughtful response. Thank you! You are so right, Debra, giving our power away does not serve anyone. Responding vs reacting is one of my favorite topics. Have a powerfully beautiful day!
Awwww, I found myself in a situation as of recent. Felt tearful, then went to breath, meditate and allow myself to be open to receive. The crankiness subsided and peace returned. Phew! Much love, Natasha
Natasha, it sounds like we have similar strategies! Good for you in taking action and re-establishing peace in your day.Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
I know those, “Oh, come on!” moments that can really put you into a slump for the day. I try to reboot after such occasions before they go too far out of balance. I feel like we just make more bad things happen if we dwell on the one or two things that didn’t go our way and, somehow, feel like the universe is out to get us. I love your ideas about starting the day out with a positive ritual. That tends to work well for me, too. Thanks for the post!
Oh Kellie, you are so right! When we dwell on these things it does feel like the universe is out to get us. I love how you “reboot” after such occasions. I like the thought of taking a few moments to put everything in context. Thank you for your thoughtful response. xo