Every morning you wake up, you choose to get out of bed. You also choose to have coffee or tea, to have, or to skip breakfast, to take a shower or go as-is. In fact you make more choices in the first thirty minutes of your day, than you probably realize.
    
Each of these, while not a momentous decision, will set you on a path that will determine whether you pursue a life that is authentic, the one you were destined for, or be distracted by the mundane offerings the world has to offer.
     
Not all that long ago, a son or daughter pretty much followed their parents into whatever work they were led into. But today, you have the ability to stop, to breathe, and to CHOOSE to live the life you want to live. That means doing so, lies in part, in your ability to overcome the distractions of the world outside. It also comes from your ability to overcome the distractions that your own mind creates.
     
It is all too easy to turn on your mobile and convince yourself that the news of the world is more important than the day ahead of you. It is all too convenient to feel satisfied by checking your email or confirming that your friends are still chattering on Facebook. And it is all too simple to go to bed at night frustrated by your lack of progress and the by the grey sameness of your days. It is as if you can satisfy yourself by noting the miles you logged on your treadmill – when in reality you are exactly where you were when you started your run.

You see, so many of you have traded the potential of the day, with the reality of yesterday. The problem is, yesterday is gone. It only exists in your mind from this point forward. And that can create all kinds of false markers for you.

In years past, the rising of the sun marked the start of a new day. It reminded your parents of their journey through time and space. Does your daily alarm do that for you? Or does it simply remind you of another set of tasks that have to be completed for someone else before you can call it “a day”.

What you may have forgotten is that you can break the habit of your daily routine anytime you wish. Simply by starting your day, NOT by checking your email or logging into Facebook, but by taking a few minutes to think of yourself and to remind yourself to be a little selfish with your life, and of what you are here to accomplish.

That’s right, I said it, think of yourself. And why not? After all, this is YOUR life. That does not mean you have to be selfish. It does not mean you have to pursue your goals at the cost of everyone else’s. What it means is that you can remind yourself that you do have a life, that you have goals and dreams, and that they should play as much a part of your life as everyone else’s. It means you can end your days satisfied that you have taken another step to realizing the greatness you are here to achieve. It means you have a choice in how you want to live YOUR life.

You see, your happinessness is based on living a life that is authentic to your own Simple Truth. It is not tied up in your annual bonus or in your retirement plans. It is in the choices you make every day. It is in the accomplishments that your happiness rests. It is in your ability to look at yourself – proud that you have gotten one step closer to your own transcendence. And by transcendence I do not mean in some mystical new-age way. But rather in the very simple realization that you are satisfying your dreams right here, right now, in this life and on this earth.

For that is where your life is – at least for now anyway...

So stop living someone else’s life, and start living your own by making good choices.

Jeff Cannon is a Modern American Monk, and the author of numerous books on meditation, spirituality and wellness. He is a member of NYU Medical Center’s Patient Advisory Council as well as a contributor to Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen and countless other blogs and websites. He has survived nine brain surgeries that removed more than 20 brain tumors. Following his last surgery, Jeff could not see, speak or stand. Over the years, he has watched his brain reboot itself again and again, giving Jeff a unique, first hand view into the innerworkings of the brain. It also stirred him to dedicate his life to integrate Western Science and Eastern Philosophy in a way that makes sense for the modern world. Learn more at www.simple-truth.com.