When deciding how you are going to live your life you get two choices – taking a proactive role in the process or a reactive one, just letting things happen to you.

Do you want life to be an upward struggle? Or would you prefer to enjoy it and know that every day is a day that you have decided to move yourself in a positive direction. This is the difference between living deliberately or living by default.

Whether you realize it or not, every day you make decisions that effect how the day will go, and ultimately how you will experience life.

If you wake up every morning, look in the mirror, and decide you are going to have a positive day, you are preparing the day’s path to be a good one. In addition, if you decide you are going to have a prosperous day and see personal successes, you will have those experiences as well.

Now, this does not mean that someone who experiences negative things during the day wakes up, looks in the mirror, and thinks, “Hey I want to have a bad day.” or “Hey, I think I would like to get into an accident on my way to work.” But by not offering any guidance for the day ahead, you are actually opening the door for anything to happen.

It’s kind of like leaving the front door to your home open all day. While you may not be putting a sign up inviting bugs, pests, or even criminals into your home, you are also not sending a clear message that you want them to stay away. You’re just kind of sitting there waiting to see what happens and then dealing with those consequences.

Instead, you should keep the door shut, and let it be known that only friends are welcome there. That way, each time someone comes through the door it is someone you have invited to come in, and who you know is welcome in your home.

Essentially, through the process of choosing to live deliberately or by default you are deciding to experience life the way you want to experience it instead of letting life tell you how you are going to live by throwing random events at you.

While many people are stuck in a belief that they are forced to deal with what life sends their way, the reality is that once you realize that you have complete freedom over your life, and running your life, you will see positive changes.

Your life is your canvas and you are the painter. You choose the color and vibrancy that is in that painting and you can create the happiness you seek with your thoughts.

The crux of this process is understanding that you have personal power. You do not have to rely on the world to make a decision on how you can live your life, but instead you can use your own personal power over your life and fill each day with joy.