It’s Your Movie, and Welcome to It

“Which is more important?  The world that exists?  Or, the world you are responding to?”

Consider this situation.  You are tired, though the day is young. In your hand or in your mind, have a list of tasks for the day.  You’re going to exercise, finish up several home projects and eatat least two servings of fresh fruits. The truth be told, you’ve had the same list for days, maybe weeks. When you wrote the list, you were optimistic, you were confident you would follow through. But today, with the way you feel, you’ll be lucky to not lose ground on every front of your life. You certainly do not have the positive outlook and enthusiasm to tackle new projects, no matter how over due. You have a slight headache. You reach for a cola and a couple of cookies. Maybe you’re coming down with something. You dread interacting with other people….Maybe a coffee or one of those energy drinks would help. Maybe one of each.

Then you pick up your email.  The children’s story you wrote is being published in a major magazine!  Your favorite friend is coming for a visit!

Power, energy, and ideas swell up in your body. The muscles of your legs and arms, a moment earlier weighing you down like slabs of concrete, are now warm with vigor. Ideas, plans, and actions take over your mind. You jump into shorts and a T-shirt. You can get in a half hour of walking before you start your work day.  You grab a pad of paper, creative ideas are whirling in your brain and you don’t want to chance missing a one. You back out of your driveway waving to your neighbors and singing alone with the radio.

What happened?  The world—you, other people, events, and all the other parts of life—did not change.  The effort to “Define a Self with a Smile” is about trying to catch the power of that little moment when the energy changed.  To join the journey toward a self with a smile takes a willingness to smile at yourself.

If you’d like to jump on the fast track, here’s step one.  Fill in the blank below and you’re signed on for the trip.

Pledge 1:  I, ______________, am as nuts as every other person on the planet.