Gosh, those are powerful words! “Change the course of my life.” Now it’s me using a simple phrase to wake myself up. I feel a smile coming on. A smile is simple. It’s really so very simple. Yet once again in this self- and gnome-generated assessment, I’m realizing that it’s a crucial tool to use, on myself as well as others, to renegotiate a mindset.

Smile.

A smile is an indicator of attitude. How many folks do I know that smile when they’re genuinely angry or upset? How many smile when they’re feeling frustrated or backed up against a wall in a hopeless situation? Not many, really; very few, if any, truthfully.

And that’s a telling fact. A smile should be genuine, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be created. There’s no reason I can’t help myself smile, maybe for seemingly no reason, but rather just because I’m thinking about it. Yes, because the thought of smiling crosses my mind, maybe I should practice smiling at that exact moment. The more I do that, the more it’s likely to cross my mind. Repetitive. Positive reinforcement. Action follows thought. Postive action follows positive thought.

Hmmm. . . . Yet another strong phrase. “Positive action follows positive thought.”

The more I smile, the less frustrated I become. The less frustrated I become, the more productive I can be. The more productive I can be, the less the idea of hopelessness runs through my head. And the less hopelessness, the more hope.

“More hope.”

What am I hoping for? My gnome is smiling now. Maybe I should be concerned that I think I can see this lil’ guy but, really, that thought just makes me smile more. So what if I’m a bit eccentric . . . it seems to be working on me in the right direction. I’ve created some truly forward-thinking phrases to build upon, to take me through my every week, and to help me focus not on the week’s end, but on the full possibility of the entire week.

Each day is so precious.

I’ve always known this. In fact, some of what’s been bothering me about this attitude thing, which has been germinating for some time, is that very fact—each day is so precious and by wishing each one away, for the short 48-hour period at the end, I’m wishing away my very existence. How sad! But that said, I’ve just convinced myself that I, me alone, I have the power to change that sadness into . . . a smile. A positive thought. A positive action. A period of hope.

By doing so, I’m changing the course of my life by taking a look at my attitude. Weekly. Hourly. Minute-by-minute. Every second of every worthwhile day.

“And what will that achieve?” my gnome asks me, even though he, and I, already knows my answer.

I smile. My dream becomes my reality.

Key Phrases to Live By

“Take a look at my attitude.”

“Change the course of my life.”

“Smile.”

“Positive action follows positive thought.”

“More hope.”

“Each day is so precious.”

“My dream becomes my reality.”