Harry got up yesterday morning and felt a little down. He didn’t understand why he felt the way he did, and he began to complain to his wife. He said, “I don’t know why I feel so down today. I think I’m getting depressed. And this is not a good day for a bad mood because I have a presentation to make at work that will determine whether or not we get that new account I told you about.” Throughout his shower and breakfast, he’d think, I wish I felt happier, I’m feeling worse as the minutes tick by, and What a day to be in a lousy mood. By the time Harry left for work, he was dreading the day.
On the way to the office, he hit a major traffic jam due to a broken traffic light. “Great! This is just great,” he said to no one in particular. “This is all I need. Now, on top of how I feel, I’m going to be late. Just what I needed...more pressure.” He got through the traffic and as he attempted to enter the parking garage he always used, he found the entrance blocked off with a sign advising that the parking space lines were being repainted that day. His frustration and sour mood sand even further. The more upset he became, the worse his mood got, and the worse his mood got, the more he said that fed it and made it even worse.
Harry finally got to his office and went over his notes one last time before making his way to the boardroom to meet the potential new client. Several minor things happened that aggravated him. One man said the room was cold and asked if the heat could be turned up. Harry was already hot!
He was just about to begin his presentation when someone got a call on his cell phone. Everything had to be put on hold while the entire group checked to make sure their phones were off. Harry was thinking things that were not nice, such as: These stupid people, why didn’t they think of that before the meeting began? When he started his presentation, his tone of voice was a bit sharp. He didn’t smile once during the presentation - it never occured to him to.
By now Satan was influencing Harry’s mind, mouth, mood, and attitude. The whole time he was giving his presentation he was thinking, This is useless; they won’t choose us. I’m doing a terrible job, and it is all because I just happened to wake up in a bad mood. I don’t know why things like this happen. They always happen at the wrongtime. I needed a good mood today and lots of joyful feelings, but instead I got depression. Why did I have to feel this way today of all days?
Harry did not get the account, his boss was not pleased with him, and he was severely reprimanded for his attitude. He went back into his office, shut the door, and called his wife. Once again he rehearsed all his bad luck. He talked about it for forty-five minutes and then said he was so depressed he couldn’t even talk anymore.
The story of Harry is fictional, but it’s also classic; things like this happen to people all the time. But very few ever realize they could have turned the day around early in the morning by choosing to think on something good and say positive things no matter how they felt when they woke up. You can I can turn a bad mood around by talking about something happy. Talk about your blessings, or something you are looking forward to, and you will soon see your mood improve. I am not suggesting that you can control every emotion you have with your words, but I know from experience that you can help yourself. We can talk ourselves into a better mood when we need to.
Why do we feel the way we feel? Perhaps it is because we talk the way we talk!
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