Mind Control

On this soggy morning, I'm working hard on mind control.

Which is to say, I'm trying to control my mind's view of routine things in my life.

I'm thinking about things I like: getting work accomplished, spending time with family, and spending time with God. And I'm thinking about things I don't like: spinning my wheels in my work, wasting time, and stress.

Sometimes it seems that the more stress I have, the more time I spend spinning my wheels. And the more time I spend spinning my wheels, the more hopeless I feel and the more time I waste. And the more hopeless I feel and the more time I waste, the more impossible my deadlines become and the more stress I have.

I'm thinking that I need to control not only the things I do, but also the way I view them. I want to enjoy my work. I'd like to feel thankful for each well-crafted sentence rather than panicking about pressing deadlines for huge projects.

I'm thinking that if one project isn't going well, I need to work on another. I need to take Elisabeth's Elliot's sage advice to "do the next thing." And while I'm doing those things, I need to think about how much I enjoy what I do.

I need to take every thought captive. I need to take control of my mind and think of each moment as a gift from God.