“To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy is to set our own conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Something occurred to me as I came out of the post office, earlier. Why then? No reason. Any walk of any distance is time to ponder. What came to me is no big revelation, but somehow stirred me more than usual: Every single word I utter, every single action, tells the Universe, in that instant, what I believe my life should look like.

The Universe does not care about the past or the future. It has the attention span of a child. It is ready to play, ready to pounce. Just say the word, literally. It plays in the moment or it hurts in the moment.

For instance, if I am rude to anyone at any moment, the statement I am making to the Universe is that I am fine with being rude; in fact, I chose this. It does not matter if I know that my general disposition is to be a kind person. The Universe only hears what I say in the moment and only sees what I do in the moment. The energy and focus I place in any one thought, word or action, in one moment… that’s my message. In other words, in each moment I use up my one shot at placing a magnificent order for a magnificent future.

It is like placing an order at a hot dog stand. The crew behind the counter is there to fill each order. Period. When the front man gives them a slip of paper that reads, “Hot dog, mustard only, hold the cheese, small fries and small root beer,” that’s what you get. In that instant, you’re a hot-dog with mustard, no cheese and a root beer kinda gal. This applies to all thoughts and actions; in essence, to all orders.

This is nothing new, but for some reason it sparked a new understanding for me this morning. Namely, that I need to make damned sure I am clear about the statements I make to the Universe about myself. I need to make damned sure I am clear about what I order.

This does not mean I have to know exactly what I want to accomplish with my life, or where I want to be in 5 years, or how much money I want to make. What it means is that, in any moment, my thoughts and actions affect my quality of life 5 years down the road more than any plan of action I can ever put down on paper.

Knowing this can affect my daily life in significant ways. For example, the next time I am about to procrastinate, I can ask myself what this says about who I am in that instant. Then, I must determine whether I am at peace with that. In that moment, instead of focusing my thoughts and energy on avoiding something, I can choose to take a 15-minute time-out with a good book before choosing the next action. I can choose to pause instead of acting randomly. The message to the Universe is entirely different.

By doing this, I’d stop the influx of emotion and guilt that would normally accompany procrastination, so the Universe does not get it either. With that single choice, I am saying, “What’s next?” instead of saying, “I don’t feel like it, I’m bored, I wish, I can’t…”

The Universe can only await my next choice and then, only then, place on my path what is fitting to this new idea about who I am. My job is to decide what that is. It is like looking in a mirror before leaving the house. When we do not feel right in the current outfit, we change it before heading out into the world. It is that simple.