“Thank God it is a Friday!” exclaimed Jonathan as he walked to his corner of the office. He studied the huge mountain of files before him, frowning at the thought that he would have to plough through the entire pile before the end of the day.
“Funny that you use that phrase”, replied Janice as she looked up from the book she was reading. She was fond of reading some inspirational material before starting off her day. For some reason, Janice was always cheerful and never seemed worried by anything. She continued, “I’m reading this book by Joel Osteen by the title, Everyday a Friday. According to him, it is not the circumstances that we find ourselves in that determine the kind of day that we will have. He argues that it all depends on the how we arrange our minds”.
Jonathan was intrigued. He asked, “Are you suggesting that I can just look at this pile of files and suddenly feel happy for no apparent reason? Be realistic!”
Janice smiled and continued, “It is apparently possible. Studies have shown that most employees become upbeat on Fridays in anticipation of the weekend ahead. They decide to be happy because of the fact that a much-needed break is coming in a few hours.
The future reward of a great weekend makes them happy in the midst of their current situation. So, you can see that although you have a huge pile of files ahead of you, you can decide to have a positive response to them. It all depends on how we choose to see things in our minds.
NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
We always determine the kind of response we will have to circumstances long before they occur”. Jonathan was not convinced. He argued, “Are you telling me that just because today is a Friday, I should be all happy and excited?
“I don’t know if you are aware of the fact that most heart attacks occur on Monday mornings”, Janice replied. “Although there are many contributory factors, one of the most significant ones is the way people view Mondays.
Mondays have been vilified for a long time. How many times have you heard people saying that Mondays should be banned? It has nothing to do with the day itself. I’m sure that even if Mondays were banned, people would start campaigning for Tuesdays to be banned as well.
It is not the day of the week that is at fault, but our perception of things. People start their Mondays with regrets that the long weekend is over. They resent the fact that they must be at work by eight o’clock in the morning. If they happen to be caught up in the jam, this adds to their woes since they recall how carefree they were just the previous day as they drove on jam-free roads.
The negative thoughts pile up. By the time they get to their offices, they are full of negative thoughts. Imagine that you had a beautiful flower garden. If you left weeds to grow without tending them, they would choke the flowers.
Your mind is that garden and your thoughts the flowers. Be careful about the thoughts you allow into your mind”.
Jonathan nodded and said, “Now I understand. It is all a matter of perspective. Instead of complaining that I have too much work, I should be grateful because there are thousands of unemployed but qualified people out there who would do anything to get my job. Instead of cursing that I am in a jam, I should be grateful that I own a car. I guess you have a point there”.
Janice concluded, “You may not control what happens to you but you can control how respond to it. You can change your life by changing how you think about your circumstances. Your happiness is in your power!”