Featured Commentary:
The Wrong Side of the Bed

by Bill Gray, CCSP Staff Writer
April 25, 2006

Have you ever noticed that when you are in a good mood, everything appears differently to when you are feeling under the weather?

Does this mean that the good mood is a factor in a good day or is it something else that determines whether today is going to be a good day or not.

Take the saying, “He (or she) got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning”

Well I followed this saying up a little and guess what?

GET UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED - "The wrong side of the bed is the left side, according to a superstition that goes back to the time of the Romans. People have been saying other people 'got up on the wrong side of the bed,' 'awoke surly or grouchy,' for well over three centuries now, usually not knowing the real meaning of what they are saying, but the equally old expression 'got up left foot forward' tells the story. The supposedly sinister nature of the left is reflected in many English superstitions and expressions, such as the belief that it is unlucky to put your left shoe first, or to walk into a house left foot first. The Romans, especially Augustus Caesar, were very careful that they got up on the right side of the bed, but there is no evidence that they were less grouchy than anyone else." From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).

What gets me is that when someone else gets up grumpy, they tend to blame others for their predicament or do I have it all wrong?

Recently it would appear that I have been getting up on the left side of the bed, every day. There have been a few reasons for this but, my point being, that I could find reasons or excuses for being grumpy rather than being honest enough to say that the world looked different from my eyes because I was under pressure.

Get the difference?

Sure, the email I received, telling me that I was an idiot, was a good enough excuse for being in a bad mood or was it that I really was in a bad mood beforehand? An idiot even?

…and then there was the fact that some money I was owed had not come through or was it due to an invoice that I failed to make sure had arrived at its destination?

And what about the reply I got saying my email was unwanted… was it I was hassling someone and it was a genuine case of them asking to refrain?

All these cases I could put blame on someone else but when I looked further, I can see that I am the cause. I will have to look at my bed a little more intently from now on, maybe make sure that the left hand side is against the wall. I am only joking, but the fact is that there is some truth in these proverbs, only if I keep on seeing that I am the culprit.

So let’s move back to my starting sentence… the question was… “Have you ever noticed that when you are in a good mood, everything appears differently to when you are feeling under the weather?”

How can we make the world a better place or should I say, how can we have the world be a better place? Maybe it’s a matter of our own outlook.

Despite what is happening in our own lives, if we can approach each day with an air of anticipation, with a degree of optimism and a positive view, then maybe we are on the way to making a difference in our own lives (and, of course, those around us.) Too often, life becomes the reason why we are having a hard time of it rather than life being life and what can we make of it?

I remember those Saturday winter mornings when I was about 10 years old. Frost was on the ground and it was cold. I was up early, cleaning my boots, ready for the game of a lifetime… every Saturday. The feeling of anticipation, nervous but excited at what was to be. Would I score? I would play the game over and over in my mind, before it was time to go. Then we would get to the park. The frost was yet to thaw but that was how you played. The game was always over too soon… then I couldn’t wait till next Saturday…

It may not have been sport for you, but I can guarantee you can remember times like that. Life happened and you had to be apart of it.

Now that adulthood has taken over there seems to be an expectation that those feelings are no longer apart of the mix. We seem to get burdened by events rather than looking forward to the pleasure of living, of playing, of being apart of the very thing that happens to and for us all…. Life!!!! We are weighed down by the happenings rather than enjoying the spectacle. We find reasons rather than smelling the roses.

So let’s make a pact. Let’s face the future rather than dwelling on the past… and if the future looks or feels bleak, then answer this… How many times has the future turned out as bad as you thought? Sure, there may be instances when we are totally unprepared for what happens but time and time again, the bad times we envisage are always worse than the way events actually turn out.

Sure, we can continue the way we are going. Feeling under the weather, like we got up on the wrong side of the bed or we can make a difference and take a different approach, like enjoying the day and expecting to.

Even if things aren’t going as well as they might, are they really as bad as it seems? Usually there is something to feel upbeat about… and if there isn’t? Well, be upbeat anyway. No point in letting the ratbags get you down.

So let’s get out on those Saturday mornings, and embrace the joy that goes with life in those times. Make it happen each and every day. It’ll be fun and I guarantee that you will feel better because of it

Cheers… Bill


by Bill Gray aka Blast, CastleCops Staff Writer

Bill is a Business Coach. Working with Individuals, Businesses and Organisations to create better environments and to develop and enhance business ''potential'', into successful business practices.


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