“Encourage all your virtuous dispositions, and exercise them whenever an opportunity arises, being assured that they will gain strength by exercise, as a limb of the body does, and that exercise will make them habitual.” – Thomas Jefferson
When I think about the day I am about to face I never look at it as a series of problems to be overcome, goals to be achieved or a list of items to be checked off. To do so, in my estimation, is to miss the central purpose of living.
Instead, I see every single moment of the day as an opportunity to release blessing into the earth. In this sense the nature of what I face is more or less irrelevant. It matters not to me if the situation is pleasant or unpleasant, hard or easy, long and drawn out or short and sweet, for the spirit in which I do what I do is more important to me than what I happen to be doing at the time.
How do you approach your day?
Gregory Hake 
I find it intriguing that we all have an inherent compulsion to bless. What is even more intriguing is that we all are designed as individuals to provide unique and specific and integrated blessings into our world.
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The spirit of blessing includes the warmth of love along with the sense and symmetry of truth, all coming to focus uniquely with respect to every configuration of circumstance. That seems to me to be plenty to be concerned about! On this basis artistry, kindness, wisdom and creative energy are never abandoned. Certainly there is efficiency and power in such expression, but never does life become just a series of problems to be solved!
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I love the thought of developing creative habits, and approaching every situation as a means of extending a blessing. This would certainly be a worthy habit to develop. My prayer is that I not forget this, and if I do to develop that habit of ardent repentance that you so beautifully outlined yesterday. Thank you Gregg for being the catalyst that so kindly propels us onwards and upwards. May you never be alone!
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I approach every day as an adventure and I’m always excited to wake up to see what it will bring. My goal is when I lay down to sleep that night is to know that I added value to the day. Sometimes, I think, “If I could live this day over again, would I do everything the same?” I find that this is a good starting point for seeing if I did everything I could to bring joy, humor, stability and peace into the earth.
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People are sometimes admonished to count their many blessings, particularly in times of discouragement or trouble. This is a good exercise as it increases appreciation for what has been received. Yet, what if I were to count at the end of a day the blessings I had released. Would I notice some opportunities missed? Starting each day as you suggest would make a huge difference!
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Living day to day in any other way than this will eventually create a miserable life. Even if you were to line up what you imagine as the perfect circumstances, such as the perfect job or the perfect house, you will eventually lose yourself to the doldrums and torture of self-centeredness. It is only through blessing others that you can hope to live a fulfilling life.
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I am a list maker but your approach is easily incorporated into my method if I am more conscious of the longer view than the immediate result. I’ve recognized that my most significant participation has always been fueled by a heart concerned to bless; it changes the trajectory of my words and actions. I also subscribe to the idea to keep your words soft and sweet ’cause you may have to eat them… Been there a time or two …humbling but in the end often counter productive.
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If anyone is suffering from a lack of energy in the day to get things done, or they are beginning to feel the tax of their efforts, this shift in awareness from self to others is incredibly energizing in the sense that one can find that there really is more energy available to work with. Funny thing this matter of awareness!
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That is a great question! It has caused me to realize that there can often be a gap between the aspiration and how things really end up being at the end if the day. I appreciate the key point of exercise that Jefferson noted. Thank you for bringing to light this morning that there can be so much more that we can bring to our day than a completed checklist, and that there is a conscious effort that needs to be exercised in order to change the default setting, so the bar is raised for me to function at the level I am designed to.
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The way I begin my day most definitely sets the tone of my heart for the entire day. I have just recently developed the habit of creating lists in the evening and starting my day with time spent reading or going over the lists and strategizing to accomplish the goals set forth. This has brought more organization into my world but it has indeed been missing this key piece of meditation. I always of course want to provide blessings into the world, but to place the desire to bless my circumstances, exciting or difficult as they may be, at the top of my list may very well change permanently the way these much needed checklists are carried out. This is a valuable tool to provide my children as well. How we do what we do in every moment is the real key to living a valuable life. Me and my world thank you! I will think about this much more as the day goes on. Have a great day!
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