I presented to a teachers' group this week and read them this quote:  

"I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous." 

That quote from Dr. Haim Ginott isn't just for educators or the classroom. It's the truth about life in general.

We create our own weather. 

My mood sets the tone for my day and the only one in control of my mood is me. It does not matter if sleet is hitting the window, I overslept, and the zipper in my skirt gets stuck. It's how I react to those little mishaps, not the circumstances themselves, that are the heart of the issue.

Every day presents challenges, big and small. How I handle them is completely up to me. The key to my happiness is right here in my hand. I possess the tremendous power to make MY life miserable or joyous. The only two parties involved are me and my attitude.

The weather does not conspire against me. The clouds don't hold morning meetings and decide to band together just to see if they can ruin my day. The alarm clock does not conspire against me and neither do the clothes in my closet. Nothing or no one conspires against me. 

Traffic exists, but I'm pretty sure all those drivers didn't secretly meet and plan to hit the highway en mass just to irritate me. I also doubt that every shopper at the grocery store tonight purposely waited to simultaneously  flood the checkout line right when I finished shopping. 

When a situation arises that used to aggravate me, I give it the Big Picture Test. In the Big Picture of Life, does it really matter that I had to wait in the grocery store checkout line for ten minutes?

YOU are the decisive element in the classroom of your life. It is your daily mood that makes the weather. It can be sunny. It can be bleak. It's up to you.