Scenario One:

“Hi, how’s it going?” an acquaintance asks you on a Monday morning.

“Ugh!” you reply. “I’ve got a bad case of the Mondays.”

Sound familiar? I’m sure – especially if the traffic was terrible or the kids were giving you a hard time.

Now try Scenario Two:

“Hi, how’s it going” an acquaintance asks you on a Monday morning.

“Things are good,” you reply. “I made it to work on time and I’m ready to dive in!”

In both cases, you’ve had the same morning so far. Everything’s the same, that is, except your perception.

How you answer such a simple question – and how you live your life — is really up to you. It’s just as easy to perceive things in a “positive” manner as it is in a “negative” manner.

This is not just pollyanna.

We all assign value to every circumstance in our life. It’s part of human nature to bring order to the chaos of the world. It’s the heart of all storytelling, including all the ones in which you’re the central character. Once you realize that this challenge is not only “OK” but “essential,” you can stop letting fear of it warp your perception.

In developing healthy habits, you’ll have days when everything goes your way – and days when it feels hard to eat right and exercise… Days when the stress of life builds. When people hurt your feelings.

It’s all part of what drives you forward in your own story. It’s fuel for your fire!

So, realize that your perceptions are a choice. You can choose to tell yourself everything is as it should be and then do the next right thing. Or you can choose to lie down and be a victim, complaining along the way.

Either way, you’re telling a story.

So, choose to write the story that serves you best.