This post's title applies to any day of the week really. Whether you are driving to work on a Monday, coming home on a Wednesday or driving on the road to the beach on a Saturday, it is still applicable.
However, the reason that I highlight the Friday morning trip to the office, factory, worksite or whatever it is you do, is that this is the last day of the workweek for most of us. It is the day that slides into the weekend.
The optimists among us see this day as a part of the weekend. The moment the clock hits the home-time on a Friday is the start of weekend and the weekend lasts all the way till your head hits the pillow on Sunday.
What happens today has the power to influence the mood that might set us up for the rest of the weekend.
Whether you plan on crashing into the couch after a long week or have a party planned for Friday night, you still want to get to work and get home after work all in one piece and in a pretty good mood.
What you would like your morning commute to be, is without stress and unnecessary turmoil. You do not need people to be rude to you in traffic, you do not need people to cut you off and barge in where they are not supposed to be.
You do not need people to upset you and start your day off where you are swearing at the idiot in front of you or have some person drive up your backside or hooting at you and be obnoxious.
What you need is a easy drive, even if it is busy and get to work with high spirits. So you can start your day with positivity!
We do, however have the ability to control this! Here is how:
It all starts with you.
We are all going to work now, commuting to school, etc. For whatever reason, you are on your way to a destination.
Be curteous to the other people on the road. Allow that guy next to you to merge into your lane. Use your indicators. Do not force your way in. Wave at the other drivers and use hand signs to help indicate what it is you want.
We are all going somewhere and as long as we keep the traffic moving, everyone will get there sooner and with less stress, rage and anxiety.
We all have busy lives and why would I spend so much time thinking about the car that drove in front of me that I swore and hooted at, who then threw the middle finger up at me?
Because we are geared towards that conflict. You forgot the 100 nice drivers and let them pass you by. You zero in on that one asshole... and stew about it for the rest of the communte.
Maybe you start getting rude in traffic as well. Maybe you anger the next person too. A chain reaction!
So whatever it is that you do, you affect other people's lives.
You can take a negative situation and turn it positive. Wave, smile, apologize. It costs you nothing at that moment. It costs you everything for the rest of your day if you accept and absorb that negativity.
Cast it out, deny it, deflect it. You do not need that negativity in your life.
If you choose to hold on to the anger afterward, your next interaction in traffic will not be as good. You could have another and another and another, by the time you get to work you are already having a bad day!
A bad Friday starts off a bad weekend!
Ain't nobody got time for that! #meme
We are all human beings.
That person driving there has a life. They have a family, a job and they have things that stress them out as well.
Be kind. Show kindness.
It shows more power from you as a person to be kind and generous than it is to be petulant and childish in traffic, getting angry over everything.
Take note of humanity, initiate kindness, and do not accept negativity. Let yourself flow with the traffic and you will have a pleasant day.
Treat others this way and they can respond with the same energy.
A higher level than this is to not respond to rage with more rage and to soften that person's heart in that moment. A smile and a gentle interaction can change his whole day.
Most of the time, drivers who rage expect someone else to also be angry, so they get ready for a confrontation. But being treated with a smile and a kind word can break the cycle of negativity.
Ultimately, leave the world in a better place wherever you may go.
Have a great Friday!
