Refuse to Lose.

I refuse to succumb to all this Mercury-is-in-retrograde stuff. Granted, 2009 does seem to be starting a little sluggishly- from a mental and emotional standpoint I don't seem as sharp as I was last year, and the fact that I've been waking up with a stiff neck every morning doesn't help (but I'll blame that on spinal rather than planetary misalignment).

I could choose to accept this cosmic imbalance and make it the perfect excuse to just coast through till Mercury behaves again (which coincidentally, is on Valentine's Day). But thankfully I've been ignoring that urge and adjusting my psyche on a daily basis.

If I wake up feeling particularly chipper I'll go on a limb and give myself a lot of things to do that day and set about finishing them all. If I wake up feeling lazy and slow I'll start off by setting smaller goals for myself, while still aiming towards the bigger picture.

An example:

Good Mood Day - Goals: Write 5 pages of script, finish edits one hour earlier, do the laundry.

Shitty-Ass Day - Goals: Remember to eat breakfast, write something- anything, and do the laundry.

The lesson? You will have good days and you will have bad days, but you will always need clean underwear.

One of the things that helps me at the start of each day as well is to give a quick non-verbal thanks to things and persons I am fortunate to have. Being grateful for the things I already have makes me realize that whatever troubles me on that particular day isn't as grave as I might think.

Here is how my thought process usually goes, whilst riding the 8:30 shuttle that takes me to Strathfield Station:

Problem thought: "Goddamn, I hate taking this trip. I'm sitting next to the guy with B.O. again. Now his smell might permeate onto me and I'll get to work and my workmates might think I have B.O. and I'll never get my permanent visa sponsored now on the basis that I have B.O."

Grateful thought: "I'm grateful for the fact that I have a job, one that is cool enough to allow me to wear my B.A. Baracus 'I Pity The Fool' T-shirt to work."

So, B.A. over B.O. anyday.

Another:

Problem thought: "My car window won't open again. Plus there's birdshit smeared all over it."

Grateful thought: "That same birdshit-smeared electronic-malfunctioning car worked well enough to haul you and your crew to the beach last weekend."

And finally:

Problem: "I look like crap today."

Grateful: "You just said bye to your girlfriend who is hot enough for the both of you. Now quit whingeing and get your day happening."

So for those of you who've been waking up feeling the side-effects of this cosmic crunch, I say refuse to lose. Battle through doubt, wake up with your proverbial guns blazing, scull down a glass of water, and get through the day by being grateful that you're alive.

Happy Two Thousand and Mine everyone.