Morning CliffsNotes
Working with a client last week, I was reminded of the movie “50 First Dates” with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. My client was telling me about a vulnerable moment she had and how she began to think back on her life “mis-steps”. As I listened to her, I had to make sure I heard her correctly. When I thought about her life I thought of all the good choices she had made and the successes she’d had. We were both looking at the same life through a completely different lens.
In the comedy “50 First Dates”, Drew Barrymore’s character has a medical condition where every morning when she wakes up she has no short term memory. When Adam Sandler’s character tries to date her, it is pretty frustrating, because even when they have fabulous dates, she doesn't remember them the next day. Drew Barrymore’s character eventually keeps a journal to keep her up to date on their relationship so that she doesn’t forget anything. And when things get very complicated (spoiler alert-when they get married and have kids), Adam Sandler’s character creates a video catching her up on her life that she can watch each morning.
The movie’s premise is a bit ridiculous but entertaining. It made me wonder, what if my client told herself the more positive version of her life every morning; the one that recounted how she navigated challenging situations to create a life of which she could be proud. What if she started her day thinking about how she handled the obstacles that came her way with creativity and bravery? What if we all did that?
Could we create a CliffsNotes story of our life to read (or watch) each morning setting us on the right path for our day: focusing on our strengths, our accomplishments, our adaptability, creativity, bravery and fortitude? We all have moments of which we are proud. What if we focus on that when we wake up and start our day with the engine of well-lived parts of our life fueling our day and inspiring and motivating us? Due to our negativity bias (based on the needs of our ancestors who needed to notice the tiger over the flower for their very survival), we have to make an effort to notice the positive versions of ourselves. A new morning ritual could be very effective.
What would your story look like? How would saying this story to yourself impact your day? Your outlook, your behavior, your relationships and your confidence? Turns out we can learn a thing from Adam and Drew.
