How Fifteen Minutes Can Improve Your Day

In this article, I'm going to show you how taking just ten or fifteen minutes every morning can help you feel happier, be more optimistic, and get more enjoyment out of life, just by changing your first waking thoughts.

Let's face it. We're lazy. We don't like to stand when we can sit, and we don't like to sit when we can lie. And when our alarm clocks start blaring in the morning, not many of us want to wake up and face the day. We don't want to think about the myriad of things we have to get done, especially when the alternative is a nice, warm, comfy bed. We'll stay in bed as long as possible, and only when we're in danger of being late will we grudgingly roll out of bed and prepare for the day.

So the advice I'm going to give you will probably come as a shock: set your alarm for fifteen minutes earlier. Yes, I know, I'm robbing you of fifteen minutes of precious sleep, but if it's that dear to you, then just go to sleep fifteen minutes early every night and you'll be fine.

Now that we're awake with time to spare, let's decide what you do with that extra time. It doesn't really matter what you do, but you should choose something that you enjoy and you should do it before you do anything else. Go for a morning run. Make out with your spouse/partner. Polish your boots (I knew a retired Army sergeant in high school who did this, just because he enjoyed it). Just start your day with a smile.

The key is to distract your mind during those first fifteen minutes. Don't worry about what you need to get done. Don't worry about any ongoing problems. By taking the time to enjoy yourself in the morning, you will brighten your mood in a way that will persist throughout the rest of the day and give yourself the energy necessary to deal with all of life's little problems.

Personally, I like to wake up and send an e-mail to my girlfriend. Our schedules don't always coincide, so I can't always wake up to the sound of her voice, but I know she checks her e-mail every morning, so it's an easy way for me to tell her I love her and just muse over some of my first thoughts of the day.