We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.

Aristotle

Consider your habits of mind, today and rid yourself of the old scripts that continue to replay. That which you think repeatedly will surely come to pass. I've discovered that when I am tired, the old scripts - like the old familiar phrases of my youth - return with a vengeance. Suddenly, I find myself turning an old phrase while my family looks at me in awe -- a throw back from an earlier time when I had not yet learned the subtleties of language, had not been introduced to the outside world. I hear my mother's voice or my fathers or the quaint language of children set apart from the world in geographic isolation, and I know it is no longer who I am, but still it slips out when I am tired. My thoughts take the same vein. Old insecurities find their way to wiggle into my reality when I am tired. I must guard against the tendency to revert to old ways of thinking. Consider the voices that repeat in your thoughts today and silence those that no longer apply to your life. Replace them with positive and encouraging thoughts and repeat them throughout the day. I am grateful for the pale rays of light that illuminate the landscape at dawn. I am grateful for the warm glow from windows that tells me the word is slowly awaking, for the echo of dogs barking in the distance and birds that chirp and twitter welcoming a new day. I am grateful for steaming coffee, homemade bread and cats that run playfully in the morning light. I am grateful for family and friends who share my day. And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you examine the habits of your mind today and know that what you choose to repeated think effects every aspect of your life. May your thoughts be light and joyous and your vision clear as you go forward toward your future.