Dr. Stan J. Tharp, MBA

I love it when psychology, theology and healthy living and leadership overlap! My education and life’s work tend to focus on these areas. I have found and developed 10 sentences I try to tell myself every morning shortly after I wake up. I feel they help make a difference in my day.

I’ve alluded to these statements often enough recently that I’ve been asked to share them, so here is is PART ONE of a ten part series: “Wake up thoughts you asked for.” (Note: these thoughts are best said out loud, to yourself, as you re getting ready to start your day.)

Thought: 1 of 10…”TODAY IS GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY!”
There is nothing particularly profound about this thought, but I find it makes a difference in my day.

I enjoy content by Dr. Daniel Amen. He is a psychiatrist and brain physiologist. He recommends saying this out loud to start your day. His explanation (my paraphrase) is that when you say this out loud, your brain spends time all day looking for experiences to validate it. As such, you will tend to notice positive, uplifting things consistent with a great day!

Dr. Amen is a person of faith, and this sounds a lot like the ancient verse that says: “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” This simple thought helps me take each day as a gift!

Add to this the teaching that “Life and death are in the power of the tongue…” and the idea of saying something positive about your day, out loud, as the day starts, makes sense.

Now, you just have to try it. OUT LOUD, every day, tell yourself the first Wake-up thought: “TODAY IS GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY!”

Eventually I found I actually feel the impact of this little statement. So much so, that some days I don’t WANT to say it, because today is in the middle of a rough time. I say it anyway, and I find it helps BECOME a description of the great day I end up having!

Other days, I wake up and say it with believable enthusiasm because I’ve come to see how it helps my day. Either way, try it for a week. Enjoy