Maybe I can go through the entire day without any negative talk to myself, others or a situation that comes up throughout the day.

I found myself speaking out loud in the car when I was alone on the way into work this morning. It was a less than positive comment about another driver not using their blinker when turning.

I caught myself and made the decision then and there not to speak about anything negatively today.

I didn’t like the way I sounded and I’ve decided to change that. Even if it’s just for today.

Awareness is 75% of the battle.

One day at a time.

Give me the courage to start the new day with an open mind and heart.

Give me the strength to follow my own path.

Bless me with the fortitude to push through adversity and remain focused on my intentions.

Guide me to spread kindness and Love while helping others who are less fortunate than I.

Thank you for this day, this time and the opportunity to share with the world the best of who I am.

Staying committed to the process rather than tethering ourselves to results can be quite challenging. However, it may be our ticket to sanity and a well-rounded life in the long run.

It’s difficult because we must disassociate ourselves with an outcome and focus on the process of learning, which involves a whole lot of (I have no other way of saying it) failure.

This is where it gets a bit tricky. After all, our society is based on results and where we fall in the overall results. Our kids’ GPA’s, athletic programs, stock market, business entities bottom line, league championships, job promotions, etc. Everyone is racing to finish ahead of someone or something else.

However, maybe – just maybe, we can commit ourselves to gaining knowledge through experiences in our chosen field and only that – rather than worrying about where we land in comparison to others.

Although it may feel like we’re throwing in the towel in the grand rat race of life, we’re actually investing in ourselves and our commitment to gaining wisdom in the long-haul.

Maybe this is where the true value resides. Not finishing first.

Seth Godin distilled it down so eloquently by saying, “If you want to be a poet, then write poetry.” Sounds simple, right?

He went on to say how we begin to attach conditions to our intentions such as, “I want to write poetry and be published.” We make it more and more difficult to follow through (now I’m paraphrasing).

Makes sense, though. Because what I hear is this: Do something for the joy of doing it. No more. No less.

That’s not a bad reason at all. In fact, it may be a whole lot easier to show up if that’s our motivation.

Rule # 6: Don’t take yourself so &@%damn seriously.

Rules #1-5: SEE RULE #6