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I recently changed something in my morning pages. It’s about shifting perspective, gaining awareness, changing my outlook and getting an increased sense of positivity and gaining a sense of control.
So what I want to do is tell you what I’ve changed and offer an easy journaling exercise that might help you too.
At the end of my morning pages every day, I write a little bit of self identification. That’s who I am, what I am, what I want to do, and the things I want to achieve, for example.
For a long time I ended this with the words “bring it on”. It’s a great Nick Cave song by the way.
I felt this “bring it on” conveyed determination and drive. A sense that I wouldn’t be defeated. But at the back of my mind I was also aware that it was quite confrontational. A challenge. “Come on if you think you’re hard enough” kind of thing.
And that also means it’s quite negative.
So I’ve changed what I write at the end of my morning pages.
At first I changed it to “bring me sunshine”. This was a great song Morecambe and Wise used to end their TV show with. If you’re not familiar with Morecambe and Wise, they were a comedy double act, used to have a great television show here in the UK in the 60s and 70s.
But “bring me sunshine” also felt a bit like asking something from the universe. Which in turn felt a bit like asking for something and then sitting back and waiting for that thing, whatever it was, to be delivered. Very passive really.
So then I changed it to “make sunshine”. And that’s nice and positive isn’t it. So I went with that for a while. But then it still felt a little bit wishy-washy. I wasn’t consciously analysing this. Overthinking it. It was just there in the back of my mind.
So then I changed it to “make your own sunshine”. This feels like it puts the ball back in my hands. It’s a positive instruction to myself. Make your own sunshine, dude!
Make your own sunshine. Take control. Or as close to a sense of control as we can ever have. Because ultimately, nobody can do stuff for you. You’ve got to go out and get what you want for yourself.
So if there’s something you want, or somebody you want to be, start by making a list of all the things that bring you sunshine. Just a simple list. Don’t think too hard. Just follow the writing.
And then when you’ve made that list go out and make some! ☀️ Either as a gift to yourself or to somebody else.
Martin Sketchley 