The 10 Things You Should Remind Yourself Of Every Morning

WE ALL HAVE THOSE MORNINGS WHEN GROGGINESS AND YAWNS ARE NEVER-ENDING. WELL PEOPLE, WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE — LIFE REALLY IS NOT SO BAD. I TELL MYSELF TO START EVERY DAY WITH A SMILE, BECAUSE IT’S ANOTHER DAY I’M GRANTED TO LIVE.

It’s important to appreciate the mornings when time slaps you in the face — make that day today. For the motivation to carry on, check out the 10 things of which you should remind yourself each morning:

1. There is no better day than today.

Have you been waiting to tell someone something or do something yourself? Maybe you’ve been holding back from making a move, asking for a pay raise or pushing off that New Years resolution to diet? Stop. Today is a great day to do what you’ve been waiting to do. You just need a kick in the butt to get started — kick it yourself.

2. Tell yourself “Wow, I look good” before leaving the house.

But don’t be conceited about it. If you bum around every day, you’ll soon feel like a real bum. Wear those new heels or that new button-down. If you wear something that makes you feel great and confident, you’re likely to have a better day than if you only wear sweatpants. Confidence is key and people around you will respond to your positive vibes.

3. Don’t check social media until lunchtime.

Social media tends to be a source of many problems for people. Have you ever had a day when you do not check your phone and you’re left feeling so refreshed? Every morning should be like that. Start your day with the newspaper (yes, the real paper one, not the online version), a coffee, some breakfast and friendly small talk — you’ll just be happier, trust me.

4. Keep your mind open.

Don’t stress over the little things. Don’t stress about the spit your roommate left in the sink after brushing her teeth. Don’t stress over the 10 voicemails your mom sent you this morning. Most of all, don’t stress about the number of Oreos you ate last night. Wake up feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and stay collected.

5. Avoid your enemies.

You have no room in your schedule for negative energy today — or any day. So, wherever you are, stray to the other side of the sidewalk when you pass your enemies. If seeing them for a split second could change your mood, simply turn the other cheek.

6. Eat breakfast and love every damn minute of it.

I get mixed responses as to why some of my friends do not eat breakfast: “I had no time.” “I don’t like breakfast food.” “I forgot.” You forgot? Food is awesome — how can you forget? Whether it’s a granola bar, three eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes or fruit, eat breakfast. You will have more energy and your brain will work better than it would with no food.

7. Smile at everyone with whom you may come in contact.

A smile can go a long way. If you see a stranger, smile at him or her — it may be the only smile the person sees that day. When I smile at people, it makes me feel happy, regardless of whether or not I get a smile in return.

8. Yesterday is in the past and today is a new day.

So yesterday you f*cked up at work or you yelled at your best friend or significant other and had a fight. Whatever the case may be, forget about it. Move on. Don’t ever dwell on your mistakes. You’re only human and sh*t happens. Start fresh today!

9. You are woman (or man), let’s hear you roar.

Be the best YOU that you can be today. Work extra hard, sing extra loudly to your favorite song and laugh as much as you can. Workout longer than usual and eat your favorite fast food for dinner as a reward. Each day can be a great day — it’s all in your hands.

10. Breathe

Whether you want to listen to “Just Breathe” by Anna Nalick or “Breathe” by Michelle Branch, just breathe; in through your nose and out through your mouth. When you first get up in the morning, don’t jump up, don’t grab your cell phone and don’t turn on the light. Sit up and breathe. Lay your hands in your lap and close your eyes. You need to get oxygen flowing to your brain so that you can function. As you breathe, remind yourself that today is a great day to be alive.

Men & Women, do they understand each other?

Man and woman make a single unit. So do our body parts and mind. Understanding the unity of polarities is the secret to feeling complete.

Basically, the polarities can be named man/woman: the masculine, the feminine. And it is closer to our human reality to understand it that way. We can call it negative and positive, but that would be a little far away. To call it yin and yang, Shiva and Shakti, man and woman, brings it very close to our heart—we know this duality.

Accept your other half

Man is attracted towards the woman, the woman is attracted towards the man, and yet when they are together they constantly fight. They cannot live separately and they cannot live together either. Attraction is tremendous, repulsion too. When you are with your woman or with your man, you start thinking of how to be alone. You start thinking of freedom, of being alone, and the beauty and the silence and all that. When you are alone you simply start feeling lonely and you start hankering for the other, and you start thinking of those loving spaces, warmth and all that. When alone you want to be together, when together you want to be alone.

Watch it; it has a great message for you. It simply says: you are half and the woman is half. Together you become one. But then a problem arises. In that moment of oneness, you are ecstatic, you rejoice, but then the problem arises: this oneness, is it man or woman? Which is the dominating factor? That is the conflict. Man and woman want to be one, but man wants to remain the dominating factor in that oneness; the woman should surrender, submit. And the same is the desire from the woman’s side that the man should surrender and submit.

Both want to be one, but that oneness has to be ‘mine’. If I am man then that oneness has to be man’s; the woman has to disappear into the man. If I am a woman then it has to be that of woman; the man has to disappear into the woman. Hence the conflict, the attraction and the repulsion, and the whole comedy and tragedy of life.

Follow your nature

The people, who are intelligent, should create a man’s movement for women’s liberation. They should fight! It is their imposed slavery on woman—they should feel guilty, they should undo whatsoever they have done. But if the woman starts fighting—and then naturally she starts thinking to be creative, paint, dance, sing, sculpt, compose—very unconsciously she is imitating man. And remember, woman imitating man will always be a second-rate man. And that is ugly. The very effort of being equal is lost. The woman can only be a first-rate woman. If she wants to be a man, she will only be a second-rate man. It is just the same way if a man wants to be receptive: he can’t have that natural receptivity of a woman. He will become a second-rate woman. To be first-rate you have to follow your nature.

Never imitate. Follow your own intrinsic nature. Follow your own built-in nature; because only from the fulfilment of that nature does one arrive to a state of bliss, fulfilment, contentment. Woman creates life, life in general, life as a universal phenomenon. Man, or the male element, creates human nature. Man is particular; woman is universal. Man goes into details of things. Man becomes a specialist. That’s why male-dominated fields all become fields of specialisation sooner or later.

Man has created much knowledge and has gone into deep detail, but now there is nobody to make a whole out of that knowledge. Nobody knows how to create a synthesis. That synthesis is possible only through a woman, not through a man, because woman is a universalising principle.

Man dissects. Woman unites. That’s why a woman feels closer to religion than a man, and has always felt closer to religion than a man. You may not have observed the fact. The fundamental fact is that religion thinks in terms of one, wholeness, totality. That’s what Tao is, or God, or whatsoever you will.

Others' Beliefs Don’t Align with Yours

Hardest achievements

I believe one of the hardest achievements to conquer in life is learning to accept people for who they are. We all have expectations for people: our parents, friends, lovers, etc. We demand a certain kind of performance from them, and it must associate with the picture in our mind; otherwise, it falls short. We expect, without question, for them to follow our unwritten rules and play by the book of our beliefs.

Others' beliefs don’t align with yours

When someone doesn’t react the way you want him or her to, it’s not because of you. Rather, it’s because said person’s beliefs don’t align with yours. An individual’s beliefs and standards cultivate who he or she is. Everything a person does stems from those two elements of his or her being. People are always operating from their own subconscious agenda, whether it’s good or bad.

People are humans

It never works out the way you think it will. People are humans. They don’t have to live according to my expectations, or live by your beliefs. They have their own set of rules, and none of them are any of your business. They don’t need to justify their standards of living, as long as they aren’t hurting other people. But what if they are hurting other people?

It’s your prerogative to decide whether or not you can live with that. It’s your entitlement in life to figure out for yourself whether or not you can stand by their choices that may or may not directly affect you. It’s your duty to realize if the gap between your beliefs and another person’s beliefs is too wide to bridge. You have to innately know whether to build or burn that bridge. No one else can decide for you.

Time will help you come to a conclusion as long as you keep living. As long as you keep breathing in and out, as long as your feet are moving, as long as you find a reason to laugh every day, and as long as you build and maintain your core — the foundation comprised of your beliefs and standards. As long as that foundation is strong, the actions of another person can’t shake you.

You will be stronger than before, more capable and confident in whom you are. You will realize that who you are has nothing to do with the actions of another, and that acceptance is the only way to find peace.