You’re on your way to creating the life that you want to life. Or, perhaps you’re now getting started, thinking about what to do. How you will organize your life, and what you should do this morning (or tonight) to get back on track?

During your day, you often have two or more pathways you can choose. Here’s my advice for today: If all else stays the same, choose the more scenic route. This will lift your spirits, give you a new perspective, and put a positive spin on the rest of the day.

I tried this one morning as I was walking to work. As it was winter, I usually took the shortest, quickest route to get to the office. But then there was another route that was perhaps 5 mins longer. However, this was a nicer route; the streets were cleaner, the stores were fancier, the people seemed a bit less harried, and it was a less crowded because the sidewalk was wider.

I realized I spent less time trying to avoid bumping into the crowds, and actually liked looking into the store windows. This was Fifth Avenue in New York; possibly one of the fanciest streets in New York.

Even though taking Fifth Avenue was a longer route, I felt mentally more stimulated and in a better frame of mind from the wider street and fancier stores. So I resolved to do this as often as I could simply to add some positives to the day.

In creating you ideal life, there will be challenges and even setbacks. Most of these will be connected with your mentality and outlook on situations. One way to overcome these mental challenges is to put yourself in the best frame of mind that you can.

Look for the blessings in the day. Smile and not grimace at situations. And, where possible, take the scenic route. Walk along a nicer street. Detour and drive by the water, or a park. Stop and look at the children in the playground.

If one of these, or some similar action brightens your day, or lifts your spirits, go ahead. Do it as often as you wish. Take the scenic route, feel the warmth flooding your spirit, and you’ve given yourself a 5 minute mental uplift.