RISE UP SINGING: Ten ways to set your day and your life on the right course

1. Express gratitude. Whether to God or to the universe, to the person waking up beside you in the bed, or to the sun that has graciously agreed to light another day for you, let your first words be "Thank you."  

2. Say something affirming, positive or loving to everyone around you. 

3. Organize something. It doesn't have to be much. This morning, I picked up the shoes that had been scattered in the family room and lined them up near the door and made my bed. My "random act of order" took about three minutes, but it made me feel like an organized person. The sub-conscious mind took note, and looked for little ways to create order all day.

 4. Do a one minute workout. Set a kitchen timer and do one minute of crunches or pushups or bicep curls. Will it change your body significantly? Probably not. But it will change it a little. And like the organization thing,  it communicates to your sub-conscious that you are a person who is committed to fitness. Most days, I end up fitting in more exercise later in the day. But even if I don't, I can still go to bed saying at least, I did those twenty squats when I first woke up. Hey,  I worked out today!

 5. Make a promise to yourself. Vow not to say a single unkind thing all day, or to do a good deed without taking credit for it, or to keep working on something you care about for fifteen minutes after you want to quit or to avoid your favorite junk food. The only rule is you have to change the promise every day. Otherwise, it quickly turns into an empty "resolution," and we all know what happens to those.

6. Beautify something.  Put on a tablecloth  or a pick some flowers from the garden and fill a vase. Get out of your sweats (if you work at home like me) and dress like you're about to have a very important day. And if you can't think of anything else, you can always smile. Voila! Instant beauty.

7. Be awed by something. Take in the red sunrise if you get up early enough, or the shape of the cumulus clouds overhead or the stunning innocence in the eyes of a child. The truth is there aren't only seven wonders in the world; there are an infinite number of them. Take time to be amazed.

8. Practice Mountain Pose for thirty seconds. Or as your mother used to say, stand up straight--preferably before a mirror. Get your body into perfect, regal alignment for a half minute, and experience how balanced and sleek and wonderful it feels. You will probably forget and fall into your habitual slouch later, and that's okay. Slowly, slyly, you just may teach your body a new way to be. 

9. Save the world--or at least your little corner of it. Worried about war, lack of integrity and honesty in our leaders? Smile, tell the truth, be fair. Global warming and environmental degradation? Walk or bike or carpool to work; bring your own mug to the coffee shop and ask them to fill it, rather than using disposables. Pick up the litter in front of your house. It  sounds small and impotent and futile, and maybe it is. But what can  we do but be the change, dream the change, live the change we want to see in the world? Every day! 

10. Take one small step toward a long term goal. Maybe you have to go to work, or you need to get seven children dressed for school, or the dog ate your homework, but if you ever want to run that marathon, or write that novel, learn to fly a plane or speak Chinese, you need to set yourself on course by doing one small thing toward that goal every single day. First thing. Take out your running shoes and set them by the door later if you don't have time to exercise early. Look over what you wrote the day before while you're having your coffee...listen to your Chinese tapes in the car.