Every day we wake up and there’s another 24 hours. We can get so used to it that we can forget that they have value, and that they are limited. That’s just how brains work. Without remaining present and conscious, the value in anything we routinely see will soon be made invisible.
If we want to find the value in our day, the best way to do that is to fill it with meaningful experiences. Maybe they’re big, like enrolling, or graduation. Maybe they’re small, like laughs, or good talks with friends. Maybe they’re even professional—like an achievement.
What gives those things their value is our presence. Yet so often human egos are given to bouts of self-doubt, or frustration, or sadness. And yet if we asked any of them on their death bed if they would like one more day, most of us would be happy with a ‘bad one.’
Our thoughts are not our day. So the reason we can be happy with a ‘bad day’ is because our impending death has taught us to appreciate what we could not previously see our way to appreciate. Once our limited days are noticeable to us, filling that beautiful, valuable space up with garbage thinking makes no sense.
All of this makes every day precious. And that in turn makes mornings precious, both because they are part of our day, and because the morning can easily set a tone for the rest of the day. One of the more beautiful ways to establish a good day for ourselves, is if we soundtrack our mornings with music that is cheerful, energetic, and yet calm.
This works because sounds evoke feelings. Growls are not like purrs, or mews. This explains why movies have composers. Writers, actors and directors all play a big part, but a huge amount of how we feel during a scene comes from the music.
We could always use the same song. We could change it every day. We could use a playlist from iTunes, or YouTube. But whatever our source is, we should be sure to choose things that suit the tone we need for our day.
Maybe we want a light-hearted day. Maybe we want a sexy day. Maybe we want to feel powerful. But whatever kind of day we want to create, there will be music we can find to suit it. So consider using your mornings to tune your entire day, by composing a soundscape for success. Here’s one I used this very morning.
peace, s
A serious childhood brain injury lead Scott to spend his entire life meditating on the concepts of thought, consciousness, reality and identity. It made others as strange to him as he was to them. When he realized people were confused by their own over-thinking, Scott began teaching others to understand reality. He is currently CBC Radio Active’s Wellness Columnist, as well as a writer, speaker and mindfulness instructor based in Edmonton, AB where he still finds it strange to write about himself in the third person.