Think Pawsitive

There's a woman on my Facebook friend list who posts a photo every morning. She's an early riser. The photos could be best described as in the moment. Sometimes it's a photo of her horse. Or the stables. Or her yard in the wee hours of the morning after fresh snow has fallen. With each daily photo, there's usually a sentence or two about tackling her day with gusto or a simple good morning. I always look forward to her morning post. There's a positive vibe attached to every single one.

I've only chatted with this woman once. It was a few years ago at an event. She's exceptionally talented and creative. Vibrant. Despite the fact that I barely know her, she has inspired me to break a bad habit of mine.

After my brief morning routine, I make a cup of coffee and sit at my desk. I glance over the slew of PostIt Notes that are plastered with reminders and stuff I need to do. I check my online reminders. Freshen up my to-do lists. By this time, my brain is spinning faster than a hamster wheel. I start thinking about the stuff I didn't get done yesterday. I stress about incorporating all of that into the current day's work.

Then...

I think about tomorrow's schedule because what if I can't get it all done today.

I think about how tired I am.

I think about how I'm going to balance it all and condense everything into a single day.

I think about the extra stuff I have to do or the unexpected stuff that comes up because it always does.

As of late, I think about the graduation party we're hosting on May 5th and that alone will require me to block off 2 days between prep and party time.

I think about our Big Painting Project that's starting the following week and my goal to get most of it done before Lisa's vacation starts when she gets out of work on Friday the 11th.

I think about the custom orders I have in queue.

By the time I'm done my first cup of coffee, I'm ready to run around the block backward while pounding my chest and roaring like a caged lion.

That's my bad morning habit in a nutshell.

The woman who has inspired me is a busy lady. She gets up in the wee hours of the morning and starts tackling her chores. I've never seen a post where she complains about it. Instead, she has the attitude of, "It's a new day with lots of hours to do what needs to be done and to get creative."

Little by little, in the process of breaking my horrible morning habit, I've been shifting my perspective. Instead of white knuckling my old realm of thinking, I have been embarking on my tasks, chores, work, and other stuff with zest.

When I say "little by little," that wholeheartedly translates to baby steps. 

That's no easy feat, but I know I'm making progress. The moments of feeling completely overwhelmed are farther and fewer between.

But, more so, what's happening is that the big picture is coming into focus in its entirety. In other words, my purpose and all things that led up to this point in my life as a Work at Home Dog Mom are coming into focus.

Being a Work at Home Dog Mom isn't easy. Not at all. The goals I have for the near and far future won't be easy to reach. They'll require a tremendous amount of work.

But, I have a choice. The first is to dread the process and the work, The second is to tackle each day with vigor and gratitude.

The woman I spoke of on my friend list inspired me to start each day with vigor and gratitude.

There's a ton of daily chores and such that need to be done every single day on top of my work stuff and commitments and everything between. My desk will always be decorated with colorful PostIt Notes. That will never change.

What will change is how I approach it.

My life as a Work at Home Dog Mom is busy and full and chaotic and non-stop. I happen to love that.

And, every single thing that I do in a day's time contributes to our household, family, our well being, etc.

Not all stuff that's done in a day's time is fun.

But, it's not all tedious and monotonous either.

On that note, thank you to the woman who inspired me to break my bad morning habit. To change my perspective.