
Did you know the last five minutes of your day—just before you fall asleep—are the most important five minutes of your day?
That’s because they are the few moments you have to set the thoughts of your subconscious mind to bounce back from setbacks while you sleep.
If you fall asleep crying, reviewing the day’s frustrations and disappointments, thinking about all the bad, terrible, awful things that have gone on in your life and you imagine will continue to go on tomorrow—guaranteed you’ll wake up:
- With swollen eyes.
- A tear stained pillow case.
- The feeling you got up on “the wrong side of the bed”—tired , unhappy and grumpy.
- Expecting more of the same.
End Result: Sabotage of your bounce back from a setback while you sleep.
But you can choose a better way.
You can choose to spend the last five minutes of your day thinking about the three best things that happened to you—how they made you feel—and you’re guaranteed to accelerate your bounce back from a setback and enjoy a better tomorrow every time!
This is not my big idea or even a new idea. It’s God’s—our Creator’s—who knows us better than we know ourselves and Who has said:
“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” Proverbs 4:23 (GNT)
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)
In other words our thoughts have the power to make us bitter or better, pessimistic or optimistic, positive or negative. And you can use that power to bounce back from setbacks while you sleep!
I challenge you to try this exercise for a week and see for yourself the difference it makes.
Shape your thoughts for a better tomorrow by going to sleep this way:
- Put a pad of paper or a little notebook next to your bed with a pen.
- Tuck yourself in for the night – get all warm and comfy with the pillows just right.
- Pick up your paper and pen and write down the 3 best things that happened to you today.
- Now, as you begin to feel drowsy, knowing you’re about to fall asleep, review in detail those three best things. Where did they happen? Who was there? What colors did you see? How did you feel when those things happened? Thank God for them and drift off to sleep…
“Oh, but Penny,” you say. You just don’t understand. My life is such a mess and nothing, not one good thing ever happens to me.”
“Really?
What about the sun or the rain you felt on your skin.
The music you heard today.
Being able to crawl into bed without the assistance of another person.
The unconditional love of a pet.
The person who taught you to read.”
There’s always something good to write down and think about.
This is a guaranteed way to help you bounce back from setbacks while you sleep! How easy is that?
I pray you’ll sleep on pillows of peace tonight, arise refreshed again tomorrow and will remember that you are not alone and somebody cares about you.