The Latter-day Morning: Create a Happier, More Successful, Spiritual Life Before Breakfast by Mark Bacera

Author:Mark Bacera [Bacera, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-12-14T07:00:00+00:00

What would Jesus do? Who knows?! He never drove! The important thing is what would you do? What would you choose to do?

The word choose is used loosely here because we honestly sometimes don’t actively make a choice; sometimes we just react without even thinking. Or sometimes the window of opportunity to make a conscious choice is so small that we can only do the one thing that we have repeated the most.

When we’re unable to make the choice that we know is best, that is when we are being “acted upon” and are a person who reacts rather than acts.

This third method of visualization helps you make the best choices and practice more purposeful reactions—to change you from a person being acted upon to a person that is acting one’s best. By using this method, you can change your habits and your undesirable reactions.

Crying over Spilled Milk

When my daughter was two, she was a very picky eater. She would only eat yogurt, sausages, chicken, and rice. Eventually she started drinking milk and we were happy, but she wasn’t very good at holding her cup.

It seemed like every morning during breakfast I would turn my head and the next thing I knew, there was a big puddle of milk all over the table, floor, and of course, my personal things.

I taught, scolded, sweet-talked, promised rewards, and even threatened (daughter, forgive me!)—I tried everything that I knew of to try to fix the situation. But nothing worked, and the spills just kept coming.

It was around this time that I came across this method of visualization, and I thought, Hey, I’ve got nothing to lose. So I pictured the situation in my mind and tried to change my reaction to it.

It was difficult at first, but as I replayed the situation again and again in my mind, I saw that I was beginning to get better at controlling my initial outburst and temper. I could approach the situation with more Christlike love and kinder words, and equally important, I could walk away from the situation free from the guilt that accompanies poor parenting. I pictured the scenario about five times and decided that that amount of mental training was sufficient.

The next day, sure enough, my daughter spilled her milk. But this time, I wasn’t angry. My body, mind, and mouth moved on their own and said and did exactly what I had visualized the day before. I reacted the way that I had prepared to react, and our family was happier because of it.

Now, did the situation change? Not entirely. My daughter probably spilled her drink a couple more times, but eventually she stopped. Was it because of the new way I handled the situation? No one can say. Maybe it was just her time to stop spilling. But I will tell you that I changed. I was released from the ropes of anger, regret, guilt, and shame that had bound me in the past, when I was still a person of reaction.

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