#20 How do I want to feel today?

When you wake up in the morning, from the moment your feet hit the floor, you have the power to influence the way you go through your day. Yes, we all have that skill.

So when was the last time you asked yourself this question? I mean exactly in this way.
Unfortunately, few of us are actively using this technique, and I consider it to be a very sad waste of our power.
The good news? We can reconnect you to this fantastic opportunity, and it will only cost you $0 and about 5 minutes of your time. Best deal ever, right?

Result-oriented people and Cartesians minds, pay close attention to this concept of "Intention", despite your (assumed) reluctance.
Why do I assume this, you ask? The former consider it wishful thinking, not involving enough action or effort to be truly effective, while the latter demand scientific explanations and proof like a bouncer at a club.
If you relate to one of those categories, or both, jump in now –  it’s never too late!
If you feel this doesn’t apply to you, I bet it applies to one of your friends. Forward it to them.

Back to our topic.
This short and simple query, “How do I want to feel today?” is one of the most compelling tools you can use to empower yourself.
There is an immense difference between stating how you feel, observing your emotions, naming them as they are, and in choosing how you want to feel, ideally. Right?
Most people consider feelings and emotions to be very much the same. To them they are synonyms, different words with proximal meaning.
Yet, emotions and feelings refer to different “layers”, and therein lies your power:

• Emotion describe bodily, physiological states and are generated subconsiously. They are responses to external or internal events. You don’t choose them, you experience them momentarily.
  
  
• Feelings, by contrast, are subjective lasting experiences of emotions and are shaped by our thoughts and reflections. This is what I call “the story we tell” about the emotions, that we experience briefly then prolong in this way.

We may have little authority on our emotions, but we can choose and invoke which feelings we let drive us.

I want you to try this every morning for the next 30 days.

1. The FIRST thing you do when you wake up, before anything else, is take 5 minutes in a quiet place to ask yourself what is your Intention; “How do I want to feel today?”
   
   
2. “Today I want to feel X,Y, Z… “. Now, close your eyes for a couple of minutes and let your imagination play with it, make images bring it to life. How does your day look in these scenarios? Beware here, do not overthink it – on the contrary, try only to FEEL it as if you were currently in it. Stay silent and experience the feeling you call out. The more you feel it, the more helpful you are to your future self.
   
   
3. Now that you have enjoyed this blissful moment (it cannot not be wonderful to imagine your ideal day!), jump into your real day.
   
   
4. During your day, any time you are going through something that is emotionally distant from your visualization, gather yourself in your breathing and take control of the “story you’re telling yourself” in order to honor the statement of what you desired to feel today. It is your job to help yourself fulfill your Intention.
   
   

Find a buddy to partner with and make yourself accountable during these 30 days of morning practice. At the end you’ll be happy to debrief your personal experiences, whatever they may be.

Skeptical ones; If you don’t try it, you’ll never know what you are critical about. Play first, and then let’s talk.

So, how do you want to feel today?