After attending Mindvalley University, one of the greatest lessons that I learned was the power of our words.
After hearing this and understanding that the words we say out loud are just as powerful as the ones we think of in our heads, I have become way more aware of what I am saying as well as thinking.
While at a talk with Marisa Peer, I remember her briefly talking about how we can change lyrics of songs to fit what we want to receive. As what we say becomes, the magic of words. After hearing this, I wanted to look at the 1000+ songs that I had on my phone and find one with a message that I want to repeat each day.
With this new realization of how powerful a song can be to change your focus and lift your spirits, I began to play the song “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive” by Travis Tritt almost every morning while at Mindvally U. I still do often.
Well the way my morning changes after singing aloud repeatedly that it’s a great day to be alive, is truly blissful. I am now starting my day with the thought that it’s a great day, that way I don’t expect anything less and look for everything that will make it great!
Change what you focus on and it will often change your life
Now to the story that made me recall this little piece of wisdom!
Here I am working a night shift. It’s only my second one of the week but for some reason I am extremely tired just after midnight. Kind of like a pumpkin! I am able to wake myself up a tad bit after I eat some of my lunch, which is perfect.
Now it’s 3 am…I am running a packer and my eyes are literally fluttering trying to stay open. I have to stop and take a bathroom break, to try and wake myself up as it’s starting to feel unsafe operating equipment with the state I am in. Nervous to keep going, I remember that what I tell myself will occur and how powerful my words and thoughts are. The brain listens and will find a way to achieve what you tell it to.
So as I am rolling along, I start repeating to myself “I am awake” and within 20 minutes I don’t even yawn anymore!
I am lucky that it was a night shift so the rest of the crew didn’t have to witness me talking aloud to myself to stay awake…that would have been an interesting sight for them to see!
4 am rolls around and I am told to park my packer as we have done our job so well that we are ahead of schedule and have to stop, score!
Next, with my second wind from telling myself that I am wide awake, I am told that I will be jumping in the haul truck on site to haul a couple loads for the remaining two hours.
Now if you don’t know me personally, you may not know that driving a haul truck is one of my favourite things to do! I just love it. It gives me the exact same feeling as getting on a flight to beautiful holiday destination.
I am in complete bliss, driving down a white sandy beach road with a billion dollar view to my left of the most perfect British Colombian mountain landscape and a the view of a teal lake on my right. Just as I think it can’t get much better than this, the sun begins to rise over the mountains. It was truly a moment of utter tranquility.
It was a moment filled with so many things that I love: driving a haul truck, mountain views, white sandy beaches, a beautiful sunrise and that true blissful feeling!
Here is where I now start saying to myself that it’s a great day to be alive and discover the purest form of happiness along the way, just through having such graditude for the day ahead!
Find the good in every moment and the world will change before you eyes
Now had I actually been looking at the world without finding the beauty in it, I would have seen that the lake to my right was acid filled and the sand I am driving on is created from tailings (waste from the mine) and the beautiful view on my left was plagued with a large forest fire and big plume of smoke.
Life is about perspectives, see the beauty and your day will be beautiful. See the bad in everything and well…I sure hope you get the message by now!
The world is what we make it
