When I woke up this morning I allowed my mind to drift to a negative thought. My mind said "I don't feel like getting up and besides THAT, my left foot hurts." As I pulled my body up and off the bed I remembered that I feel much better when I don't entertain thoughts like that. I quickly changed my thought to "I am going to get up, do my stretching exercises and feel absolutely marvelous!" That thought changed the way I felt instantly, and I did my exercises and have felt good all day today.

Every day is such a great teacher. Later in the morning I had to pick up a prescription for blood pressure medication at the pharmacy. With an extra ten pounds on my body and a few family crises in the past months, my blood pressure has climbed a bit. For the first time in my life, I have had to take blood pressure medication. As I stood in line to pick up the prescription, the lady in front of me seemed to go on and on as she talked to the man behind the counter. I became restless and I could actually feel my blood pressure going up as I stood in line to pick up medication to reduce blood pressure. GONG, GONG. A bell rang in my head to let me know that the day was teaching me a lesson.

I realized that if I continued to behave like I was, allowing myself to become upset while I stood in line, I was never going to get off this medication.

Every day IS a teacher. When I got home from the pharmacy, I sat down to do some work and started to complain about the fact that I was working so hard and not enjoying being outside. For about fifteen minutes I felt REALLY sorry for myself. Then I realized that I was not a prisoner in my office and that I could make the CHOICE to walk outside for a minute. GONG GONG the bell was ringing in my head letting me know that another of life's lessons was being taught to me today. I was learning that I am in charge and that I do have control. I do have the choice to walk outside for a minute to get a wonderful breath of fresh air. Can I always do that at any moment I wish? Well, no! I can't do that during an interview or meeting, but there are so many hours of the day when I am NOT in an interview or meeting.

GONG GONG the bell was ringing again to let me know the day was teaching me something. What I learned was that often I throw out a good idea just because it can't work 100% of the time. I might have decided that giving myself permission to walk outside was a bad idea because there would be situations where I could not do that. But my thoughts during THIS day taught me that part of being in charge of my life is to make CHOICES and to be flexible about the appropriate times and places I can actually carry out those choices.

I help myself to learn from each day by saying the following affirmation each morning. "Today is my teacher. Yesterday was my teacher and tomorrow is my teacher. All of life is for learning."