START YOUR DAY RIGHT

Article by

KAYSOON KHOO

As soon as you open your eyes each morning, your brain goes into gear and your vehicle of conscious thought starts running. The feeling you have right at that very moment may well decide how smoothly (or otherwise) your machine is going to run the rest of the day.

Watch that feeling. It can make your day. Or it can do the reverse. Emotion does not evaporate as easily as morning dew. It lurks in the back of your mind, ready to come to the fore and renew its hold on you at the first opportunity you give it.

If the very act of waking up puts you in a grumpy mood, squash that mood. You can easily do it by observing a simple ritual. Sit up in bed and stretch. Then wish yourself a very good morning out loud. Hug yourself. That gesture is significant because it says you love yourself.

Go the bathroom and splash cold water on your face. Give your reflection in the mirror a big, broad smile. The very first smile you bestow at the start of the day should always be on yourself. It gets you ready to smile at the world.

Tell yourself it's going to be a happy, productive day for you. You're going to see that it is. And you will, if you start the day right.

BE KIND TO YOURSELF

Article by

KAYSOON KHOO

You've heard it time and again and you know what it means. To err is human, to forgive divine. Even if you're an atheist who doesn't give credence to the existence of any kind of divinity, you know full the implication of that oft-repeated saying. You have to be really big to forgive, especially when the harm done you or the loss you are put to isn't something you have earned or deserve.

Let's face it, we are not always that magnanimous. To truly forgive means to absolve the other party from all blame. It's also to acknowledge that he is not indebted to you for the damage or pain he has made you suffer.

When you are unable to bring yourself to forgive, bear in mind the resentment you feel is detrimental to you alone. It eats away at you. It does not lessen with time unless you allow it to. Anger and resentment stay alive and grow if you nurse them and refuse to let them die a natural death.

If you can't bring yourself to forgive, allow yourself to forget. Make yourself forget. You know how to push thoughts from your head. You've done it time and again. Do it now. Tell yourself it's for your own good. It really is. If magnanimity of heart cannot make you put away your resentment, let self-interest do the job. Surely you CARE for yourself!

You've already been the victim of one injustice. Don't let burning resentment victimise you further. Be kind to yourself and fling from your shoulders the weight that's pinning you down.