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Try as we might to avoid it, there are just some days when you wake up and you just don’t see it for that day. No one thing, person, idea, statement has set you to the left of pleasant but you feel a niggling sense of “Don’t try me.” Now, some folks try to cover that up with a smile and a mental push toward the center (known as “meh”) or all the way back to pleasant. I do believe that positive thinking will determine your mind frame but that’s more of a meta statement on how you live your life. Doesn’t really work for me on those sulky days.

This morning, just wasn’t seeing it for the day. Even after an amazing concert last night with a group of good friends (Hip Hop & Love Tour, check it out when it comes to your city), when I woke up this morning my immediate wish was for it to be Saturday. Sadly, I’ve yet to discover the method of moving time forward so I had to get up.

It’s karmic that when scrolling through my Twitter timeline this morning, I saw this post appropriately titled “How To Have A Crap Day And Not Piss Off The Rest of the World.” Peter Shankman outlined some great points; namely, no one aside from your inner circle cares if you’re in a bad mood. Work still needs to be done, calls and emails must still be answered and life moves on and around your sourpuss expression. He gives some great advice on how to press on despite a desire to hiss at the world and my favorites are:

1. Put down the device – We are an over-sharing culture on such an increasing level that I reconsider Facebook on a nearly daily basis. For every person that truly engages, be it business and personal, in a respectful and productive way there are those people who tend to use their accounts as a confessional. Despite your best intentions to share what you think is important, your bad attitude isn’t something that others find fascinating. It just makes you look negative.

3. Hit the gym – Pages of research have been written on the rush of endorphins and other feel-good hormones that rush through you when you get moving. Be it a brisk walk, a full out sprint or pressing some weights, moving will help you push past your own mental block. At one of the most stressful points of my life, I was also in the best shape of my life thanks to a can’t-miss midday weight class that became the highlight of my day.

4. GTFO – I will be traveling to New York because I’m absorbing way too much of what is going on around me. The past weekend with my mom and some QT with my dog-cat definitely helped center my brain. But Halloween in the craziest city in the country will be awesome. Bon voyage!

7. Go spend some money – I’ve managed to avoid the mall since I decided to go back to school. The change of the season is managing to draw me back, with the rich colors and cool temperatures of the fall.

And last, and most importantly, at 10. Know that this too, will pass. The truest and best part of life’s trials and tribulations is that God never promised us peace but he did promise to get us through it to the other side. Have faith!

My time off is approved for New York. The travel advice about Tuesdays being the best days to buy flights may hold true, as my flight price has gone down seven dollars since late last week! Up and away for me.

The other day I was speaking with my sister, who also happens to be my only reader so far, and I told her that one topic I will not cover on here is my relationship. I’ve come to the conclusion that despite what popular culture tells us through shows like “Sex and the City” and books on relationships (and TV shows and “experts” and ad nauseum), talking about relationships, especially your own, becomes maddening after a while. It becomes a soul suck of “well did he mean this? maybe he feels like that…what do YOU think?” until it’s a vicious cycle where no one in the actual relationship is talking, just the woman and her friends. And let me tell you, one thing I’ve learned over the years (yes, I’m only 26 but I learn quickly), is that most of the time you (woman) are upset, your male counterpart either a) doesn’t know it because he’s inside his own head or b) doesn’t want to say anything and will wait for you to say something.

In college, I had a cork board that stayed with me through all four years with various photos, ticket stubs, pins and sticky notes. One of my notes said “Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear,” which was especially true on a very small campus with a tendency toward gossip. But the note that resounds with me today was “Positive thinking brings about positive results.” The Mayo Clinic agrees with me, noting that:

“…some studies show that personality traits like optimism and pessimism can affect many areas of your health and well-being. The positive thinking that typically comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management. And effective stress management is associated with many health benefits.”

Although I wouldn’t call myself the most cheery person in the world, I definitely find that my unique brand of positive self talk combined with faith has kept my  head above water over the past five years. I avoid negative cycles and negative people, never being one to understand that brand of “Woe is me, life is so terrible, don’t you agree?” that coworkers and associates can drag others into. Although every day isn’t always the best, since this isn’t promised to us, I’d rather focus on what is going right and plan for making other areas better than to wallow in it all like a pig in slop. And now this blog is another outlet for bringing the good vibes to my world, and possibly yours.

Next up, I review the first two chapters of my latest favorite read.