At a Starbucks that I drive through a couple of times each week, the Barista hands me my drink and says, “Go get ’em!”  The first time I heard it I thought he was talking to someone else.  Then, I realized he was talking to me and every other car that goes through the window.  It made me think about what it means. Now, I have started saying that to myself every morning when I wake up.  I don’t say, “Rats, it’s morning.” Actually, some days I do say that. But you can’t lay in bed for another 20 minutes after you say to yourself, “Go get ’em.”  You just can’t do it.

Now, I don’t say to myself , “Oh no, hello morning. I am not ready for you.”  Actually, some days I do say that. But you can’t lay in bed for another 20 minutes after you say to yourself, “Go get ’em.”  You just can’t do it.  It feels lazy.

So, I try to have my day laid out in my head when it hits the pillow, so I don’t worry about it in the middle of the night and toss and turn.  That allows me to “Go get ’em.”  I find myself in such a bad mood when my day gets derailed: when the things that I wanted to accomplish just get put on the next day’s list. It makes me grouchy.  So, I look at my calendar every evening to get myself ready for the next day, even if my day is wide open (isn’t that about the best feeling on earth?).  If I am working out first, I get my workout clothes out and ready to be slipped on, so I can sleep until the final second, then “Go get ’em.”

If it is not a workout day, I have my clothes all picked out.  I don’t like the feeling of having to hear the weather forecast them come up with something when I could have done that the night before.  I have my bag ready and my electronics ready for action.  I know, I know, it is a little silly, but it works for me.  I like the feeling of being in control of the morning.

For me, what “go get ’em” means is that I am ready for that busy day.  I am charging forward and making progress daily.  I like that.  I find that the older that I get the less time I want to waste.  I want to fit everything into every day.  I don’t want to just coast.

That doesn’t mean I want to be on the run all the time.  I do not.  I love my downtime.  But I find that the more I “Go get ’em,” the more downtime I create for myself.  It’s the best.

Whatever it takes to put that spring in your step, to get you fired up for the day, do it.  It makes life so much more enjoyable and satisfying.

Go get ’em!