I Woke Up This Morning

One thing that I've noticed as I am working my Happiness Project is what people say when I ask them questions.  I noticed this week that from 4:01 PM until 6:59 AM I am super positive and pumped.  I am working each day to incorporate those changes I've committed to for this month.  I feel happier, am sleeping more, and I think that I just overall feel better.

But from 7 AM until 4 PM, I am fighting the positivity.  I noticed it this week while listening to how I was interacting with my admin team.  In the best of circumstances, there is a lot of negativity being a school principal (parents yelling at you, central office dumping on you, trying to keep your teachers motivated, trying to keep the students focused on learning, etc.) - but there is a difference when you are actively bringing the negativity with you.

It made me think of an employee of our after school program.  Every day when I greet her, I ask her how she is doing.  She always has the same answer: "I woke up this morning."  I never really thought about until one day I asked her why she always says that.  She told me that she had been diagnosed with lupus and other ailments, that she would never walk again, nor have children.  Well, she walks everywhere and has eight children.  She really focuses on the positive.  When I was telling her about my Dad and that we were waiting to hear if he was going to be in remission, she told me to pray and believe that he will be in remission and he will.

So now when I hear someone ask her how she is doing and she says, "I woke up this morning," I think about it differently.  It really is a gift to wake up each morning.  At any moment, our life can be altered dramatically or even be taken away.  It is a gift to see each day, connect to the people that you care about, and have a chance to make a difference for yourself and others.

I choose to be glad that I woke up each morning.  I choose to be positive all day long and make a difference.  I want to be happy.

Stay happy!
:) Mo