It is a priority of mine to make sure that I set myself up to have a great day.  I find that with a little preparation, the odds of that happening increase significantly.

1.  Give Thanks

Every morning when I get up I give thanks to God.  I have found that starting the day with the right mindset is important for me and prepares me for the day ahead.   I don’t allow myself to think about anything disruptive to a good start to the day.

As I begin my daily exercise routine, I thank God for what I can do physically and for finding the time to work out with my furry four-legged friend, Bailey.  Giving thanks throughout your day paves the way to being grateful. 

2.  Be Grateful

A friend recently told me that she started to look at the positive in situations instead of the negative and it changed her whole perspective.  It gave her a good start to the day and a better outlook on what was to come. 

This is a friend who deals with more challenges in a given day than most of us.  The fact that changing how you filter your thoughts, and switching your perspective to being positive can make such an impact on your daily life is something to be grateful for indeed.

Giving thanks and being grateful puts me in a position where when a challenge comes my way, I can put it into perspective and find a solution while maintaining my sanity. 

3.  Prayer

Being thankful and grateful has led me to a much richer prayer life.  Often people think about saying their prayers before they go to bed at night.  That is a wonderful time to pray, but I have found that my prayer life is throughout my day.  There are times that I concentrate on prayer and define it as “prayer time,” but more often than not my prayer time has no beginning and end.  I find that prayers are in the moment for me.  As my prayers became more spontaneous and more frequent, I became more grateful and thankful. 

4.  Accomplish the Tasks on my List.

For some people making a list of what needs to be accomplished and addressing all the tasks on the list is excruciatingly difficult.  However, it is one of the most important things that I do each day.  Without my “to-do list,” I would accomplish very little each day.  The day seems to disappear in front of me when I do not have the constant reminder of what needs to be done to be rewarded with free time!  I even find that my “free time” is spent much wiser when I have accomplished everything on my list. 

There have been days when I don’t have a list, and often I don’t know what I did with my day.  I don’t like those days because I feel a “cloud” over my head in terms of what I could have accomplished.  When I have a free day, I like it to be guilt-free and full of fun!

5. To-do list for the following day.

At the end of each day, I take a moment to regroup.  I look at what plans we have as a family for the following day and I list what needs to be accomplished.  Leaving the list on my desk at night prepares me for a productive morning and day.  It also sets me up for knowing what I have to accomplish and at a glance, I can respond to any spontaneous “moment” or opportunity that may cross our path.

Prepare, be thankful, grateful, and prayerful.  Create your plan, accomplish your tasks, and have a great day.   

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