Hello families,

This motto this week is:

What have you already decided about your day?

The way we think about the different parts of our day can have an enormous impact on how we experience them.  Our beliefs and opinions coming into an event can influence which parts of the event we focus on.  For example, if we believe that a certain person is rude, we may be more likely to interpret the things they say as negative, even if that was not their intention.  Likewise, if we think a certain class is boring, we are less likely to pay attention at first and soon become lost and bored in actuality.

"We suffer more often in imagination than in reality" ~ Seneca

It's not uncommon for multiple people to experience the same event, class, or conversation but have totally different emotional outcomes. To examine our beliefs is to examine the lens through which we see the world.  By stepping out of our preexisting beliefs and decisions, we can assess whether it is better to change that lens for a new one.  While we still won't be able to control other people's actions or the events that happen to us, we are absolutely in charge of the way that we show up for these people and events.

Although I will likely not feel realistic to try to force positive beliefs about events that have often been unpleasant for us in the past, we can still critically examine negative perceptions that we still have to see if they are still serving us.  By getting rid of the expectation that something will be unpleasant, we may find that the actual event is much more tolerable.

This week, think about what you've already decided about your day, and if necessary, change it so that you can have a better experience.  You deserve it.

Be good to yourself,

Danna Evans
All Things E.Q.

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