"A smile is the cloth that cleans away some sadness, changes the shape    of a day or even the course of a life."   Jason U

   Maybe it was a good weekend or maybe not but that weekend belongs to the past and now it is time to move on. If it was a good weekend, then you already have something to smile about. If it was not a good weekend, you can smile at the thought that it is now over. The end of some things, some events or some relationships can bring their own gladness. Maybe it was a visit from someone you do not particularly like or going somewhere that you did not want to be.

    The good news is that it is over and you can smile about that or stop looking backwards and look forward to something else that will bring a smile to your face. If you have something to smile about that belongs to the past, then you have some happy moment to hold on to. If you have something to smile about now, you have a happy present in hand. If you can find something or someone to smile about or with, you are creating some sunshine in your life and a brighter future.
   
    Do you want to know what makes me smile a lot? Family. My children make me smile and other children too. Their smiles, make me smile. A simple hug from any of my children makes me smile and has the power to lift me up when I am feeling down. Somehow they know just the right moments to give me that hug for the extra boost that I need to lift me up, when things are not going exactly according to plan. Some of the things that they say, make me smile. Some of the things that they do make me smile.
 
Life is of course not all smiles and sunshine. Life has its storms and its rainy days. Sometimes even being a parent brings its own storms and children present you with their own frustrations but that is the nature of life. One of the great fears of any parent is not being able to provide for their children and there are some parents that are in that situation. Smile, if you wake up to healthy children. Smile, if you are able to provide for your children.
 
  As a parent, I am aware that I may not be able to give my children all that they want but they do have what they need. As a parent, I may not be able to give my children all that I want to give to them  or do all the things that I want to do with them, but I will continue to do my best. The one thing that I can always give to them, that does not cost me anything is a smile. Hopefully, it lifts their spirit, as their smiles lift mine.
 
  A smile does not cost you anything. All it takes is the movement of your facial muscles. It may even help keep some wrinkles away or make you look a bit younger. Any little thing that you do can bring a smile to the face of a loved one or a stranger, but especially a smile itself should bring a smile. A smile is the cloth that cleans away some sadness , changes the shape of a day or even the course of a life.
 
    A smile is rarely offensive but it is one of your defenses against negativity or circumstances. If you find yourself in a situation that you should not be in or a place that you do not want to be, smile to yourself and smile at the temporary nature of the situation or place. Smile with the knowledge that you can do better and you are going to do better. Think of yourself as being in the ring and smiling at your opponent, because you are confident that you are going to win the next round or the boxing match.
 
    There is always something to smile about and there is always someone to smile at on any given day. I have lost count of the number of times a stranger has smiled at me and it has made me smile back. I cannot even begin to count the number of small things that there are to smile about but they all add up to create light and a brightness to life that stays present in dark or cloudy times.
 
   Wake up and smile to yourself. Wake up and smile at your children, if you have any. Wake up and smiled at a loved. Smile at someone on your way to work and smile at someone at work. Either way, you touch a life with some positivity.
 
   
 
                                                        Jason @ MondayMorningPositivity

  The simple truth is that however hard you try, you are not always going to be your best or your best is never going to be good enough for you, some people or some places.  However healthy you are, there will be some mornings when you wake up feeling sick or zapped. However positive you are there will be some mornings when you wake up, not feeling so positive and feel like doing nothing. Consistency is a wonderful thing but the reality is that we are all subject to fluctuations.

   There is the personal and there is the professional part or capacity to many of us.  The personal part of us tends to fluctuate and hurt more than the professional but each only hurt as much as you allow them to hurt and each can be repaired or healed. That is the good part to the fluctuation. Another great thought to keep in mind is that a lot of things, if not everything are temporary. Our lives are constantly shifting and the greater your capacity to deal with or adapt to the shifting, the better you will feel.
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   I love the phrase that belongs to marriage & to life also, which is for better or for worst' but the truth is that most expect and stay for the better part of the marriage or other relationships and not the worst part. The truth is that no one really wants to struggle with any of their relationships but struggle is a part of the journey.

   Fluctuation is a part of the journey and you have to be able to flow with the fluctuation. You have to expect the best but also be prepared for the worst. And by prepared, I do not mean be prepared to run away from your marriage or any of your relationships. I do not mean be prepared to jump ship, when the sailing gets rough or a storm comes blowing. No, I mean have a sail ready for the storm and keep on sailing until you get to smoother waters. You will not get to smooth water and sailing, if you immediately abandon ship, when things get rough.
 
   Nothing that really happens to you on a personal or professional level, is the end of the world. It may hurt but if not a matter of life or death and you can get out of bed in the morning, you will survive. If you wake up with a headache, take some aspirin and your headache should go away. If you wake up to no one beside you and you feel lonely, get a cat or a dog until you find someone truly compatible, to lie next to you. If you wake up to no job, use your time to be creative and find a better job or do something even more phenomenal.
   
   Life is a fluctuation. Life is a constantly shifting story. Some days will be good and some days will be bad. Some days will be positive and some days will be negative. It is up to you to control the fluctuation and the shift. It is also within your power to control the fluctuation in your favor and the key is in your mind.
 
   How you feel each day is up to you. If you wake up on a bad note, you have the capacity to change to good notes. If you get out of the wrong side of the bed, you have the option to get back in bed and get out on the right side of the bed. Wake up and feel better about yourself and the day ahead. The day is yours to shape.


​                                                              Jason.U @MondayMorningPositivity

`I am never entirely assertive, nor entirely shy, neither clever nor stupid, neither neurotic nor healthy. I am sometimes this, sometimes that. I am a constantly changing flow of awareness. I am only me -now.'   ~David Reynolds.
 
   The truth is that we are many things and exist in many capacities and have to act accordingly within these capacities as required. We wear many hats at different times or the hats that others or circumstances might impose on us.
 
  You have to be aware of your capacities or the capacity that you are operating in at any given time and which hat it is time for. When it is time to go to sleep,it is time to go to sleep and your body lets you know. When it is time to get up, it is time to get up your body and probably an alarm clock let you know.  When it is time to get up and go to work you just have to get up and go. You are already aware of that and you have to flow with that awareness. The trick might not be to think about it too much about it.  You just need to be aware that it is time to go and flow with that awareness.
 
  If it is time to act in the capacity of parent or spouse before adopting the role and capacity of worker, then you have to put on your parenthood or spouse hat before you put on your work hat and head off to work. You are already aware of what has to be done, when and where, and just need to flow with the awareness and changes that occur along the way.
 
  Resistance is futile and fruitless, to anything that needs to be done. The only fruit that resistance bears is usually frustration and or resentment. There is no room for either on any given day, if you really want to have a good day.
 
   Each day has a name and each day is given to us for a reason. Yesterday will become today and today will become tomorrow but in spite of any monotony, each day is a constantly changing flow of opportunity.
   
   Monday morning is a good time to reflect, to contemplate and to keep on moving. It is like a new chapter to the start of the week. You can either let the bad moments from the last chapter affect the rest of your story or you can use this new chapter to create a better story.
 
    Spring break may have been a break from the monotony and now that time is over. Some parents may be glad that it is over, a lot of youngsters will not. Maybe you had a delightful spring break or maybe it was noisy and torture for you, but that time is over and now it is time to move on to this week and this new chapter in your life.
 
   It is time to move on and time to flow with the now. It is time to move forward in time and not backwards. If it was not the spring break that you expected, you have time to plan your next spectacular break. If it was a lousy weekend for you, you have next weekend to look forward to and plan for. If you have spent all your money, hopefully you are quickly flowing towards your next pay check or big payment.
 
   Life is a constant current and constantly flowing into the future. Be aware of the currents and Flow with them. Always be yourself but flow with the current and do not drown yourself anywhere or in any capacity.  
  
                                                                  Jason.U @MondayMorningPositivity.com

 ​  We wake up in the morning and it is time to start another day. It is another day of life and another day to make a lot of choices. It would be nice if life has a remote control but free will is also nice. It is about making choices.The choices that we do make will decide how the day unfold and some decisions more than others will make a ripple into the future.
 
   Another day of our lives and maybe you are wondering what to do with it. Maybe you woke up with some doubts about getting out of bed and facing the day ahead but you have to. Maybe you are afraid of what lies ahead but you will have to face it anyway, so why not do so boldly. Many things lie ahead of your day waiting for you to embrace them and each  outcome of the day depends on how you act towards them or how you react.
 
  We wake up and are tired. Tired of the struggle and tired of being tired or any given routine. Life is a struggle, a routine and a journey . On any journey you will get tired or bored but being tired all the time is not good. You have to do something to change that. I think of life as a journey and a struggle but the thought that life is a journey always overrides the thought that life is a struggle. the thought that I want to do something, rather than have to do something, makes it more of a pleasure or at the very least, less of a chore.
 
  On any long journey you do have to rest or relax along the way and you have to find some time to rest for a better journey. You have to take control of the journey and your time. If you are in the driver's seat and in control of the journey, you can get to where you want to be. You can do more of what you want to do along the way.
 
  Whatever your doubts are, you have to wake up and take control of them or they take control of you and the outcome of what lies ahead. Whatever fears you may have, you also have to take control of them or they take control of you and your day. You may not necessarily be able to conquer the fear
but you can control any fear and take away some power that fear has over you. If you can do that, you take charge of your direction rather than being directed by fear. The absence or control of fear allows you to be more relaxed, more creative and more productive.  
 
 
   Take control of your debts and do not let your debts take control of you.  When I say not to let your debts take control of you, I do understand that you may not be able to pay off all your debts and that you may be late with a number of payments but not to allow them to affect your state of mind or everything else. Many nations are in debt but they still prosper. That is one perspective about taking care of your debts. You will survive your debts and you can take care of them, if you can take control of them.
 
   Take control of your emotions and do not let your emotions take control of you. We all share the same emotions, but some are more magnified than others. while others are more subdued. We all have the capacity to get angry but some people have simply learnt how to control their anger rather than be controlled by anger or frustration. Everyone has some positive emotions but not everyone has learnt to enhance them or use them to override negative situations.
  
   Wake up and take control of your environment. You may not have as much control of your work environment but you have absolute control of your own environment. It is a reflection of you and a clean environment may also provide you with some clarity. At the very least you can make your bed before you leave home and know that you are coming back to a bed that is ready for you to lie in. It pays to take control of your environment
 
   You do have more control than you think. There are some things that you may not be able to change but when it comes to you, your health, your finances and your environment, you have more control than you think. The power of control is yours and you just have to grab it to make a better day and ultimately a better life. Take control of your today.