A productive day...

Days like today are rejuvenating. It is a comfy pants and sweatshirt kind of a day, mainly because my windows are open, allowing for the chilly air to flow in. It feels fresh and fills my apartment with the smell of fall, a scent that is difficult to describe but easy to enjoy. My Sunday started fairly early, 5:00 to be exact. It was another one of those mornings that I felt motivated to get out of bed and start my day. I'll admit, knowing an afternoon nap will be a part of my schedule makes putting my feet on the ground even easier. That's all you have to do, just put your feet on the ground, and it's all downhill from there. I made my way to the fitness center located on the 8th floor of my apartment complex, only to find it completely empty and nearly pitch black. I am instantly motivated to be here, bettering myself, before anyone else even opens their eyes. I feel as though I am awake before the entire city, especially since the sun has not come up, making it feel like it is the middle of the night. I wonder if this particular day of the week has anything to do with it, or if it simply is too early for me to be down here. Regardless, I finish my workout in about an hour and head back upstairs, still no signs of life. Fresh coffee brewed for me while I was gone, and I have been enjoying it ever since. In this time I have also managed to cut my homework load nearly in half, which will free up time later in the day for watching football, painting and a Sunday afternoon nap. 

It is shaping up to be a productive day. Somewhere in the past 7 hours I have learned something new; or perhaps just revisited an old way of thinking. I found myself consumed by a small amount of worry this morning. Thinking about the future has a tendency to do this to someone. Typically, the road of unknowns that lies ahead of me is refreshing and leaves me feeling excited. This morning, however, thoughts of the future came at me like bullets out of a machine gun. Where will I end up? How will I get there? What will happen along the way? I've learned to take myself out of that mindset. I've learned to calm myself down, as no one else is going to do it for me. It doesn't take long to do this, and within minutes I'm telling myself to listen to my own advice. I've never been one to say "Live in the moment", however, this is what I tell myself. I've realized that it does not pay to worry, worrying gets you nowhere. But it gets you there fast. What gets you somewhere is being proactive, just completing things one at a time. I've realized that we should take each day as they come, knowing what needs to be done, and in what order. There's no better feeling than completing something and moving on to the next.

Growing up, my mom would help us get through the anxiety of cleaning our rooms. She'd tell us to start with one thing, put it away, and move to the next. All while saying "This goes here, this goes there, and this goes here". Before we knew it, we were standing in a perfectly clean room. I've taken that memory to the present day with me and use her advice to get things accomplished every single day.