Which is better?  Which do you prefer: sunrises or sunsets?

It is a simple question that reveals something fundamental about your outlook on life.  Which is more exciting for you, beginnings or endings?

Your initial response may vary depending on if you are an early riser or a night owl.  Night owls may have never even seen a sunrise.  Early risers, having been awake since before the sun came up, may be so tired by the time the sun sets, they don’t really have the energy to celebrate the day.

I am typically an early riser and if forced to choose, would say sunrises are my preference.  There is something satisfying to me about heading out the door before the sun rises.  There is something that excites me about already being out and about as the sun is just coming up.  I just happened to have a breakfast meeting in OKC this morning and the sunrise happened to be particularly beautiful this morning.  Thus, the drive made me contemplate my appreciation of sunrises and compare that to sunsets.

Sunrises represent the possibility of each day.  What will today hold?  There are so many possibilities of what may happen or what may come.  The same goes for the beginning of a new relationship whether that be a friendship, business relationship or other introduction.  A new project holds tremendous promise and potential for impact.  There is something special about cracking open a new book and getting into the story (which is probably why it always seems that I read at least the first 10% in the initial sitting).  As a visionary thinker, I see possibility and potential for growth everywhere.

Sunrises are spent drinking coffee, energizing for the day and then getting together with the people you need to make your goals reality.

Sunsets represent the satisfaction in completion.  There is something special about watching the sunlight slowly fade away.  It is a peaceful moment.  The end of a day well spent is very rewarding.  Having captured the potential in the day to actually make something of the world and the opportunity just to live it that I was given.  A project completion is cause for celebration.  The impact is being realized and felt.  The result can often be physically seen as evidence of all the hard work.  Finishing a book and completing the story brings resolution to the issue at hand.

Sunsets are often spent with those you love and choose to spend time with.  The work day is over; the pace has slowed.  What a wonderful moment to spend quality time with those you care most about, appreciating each other and the day.

I love thinking about this concept in terms of each sunrise and sunset.  How would your life be different if you took even a moment at the beginning of each day to think about the possibilities inherent in the day?  Even a short list of 2 or 3 things that excite you most about what may come to be.

I have the blessing to have a job I absolutely love and affords me the opportunity to do things I love to do every day.  As such, I cannot think of a day that I do not come to work energized and excited for the day.  The same goes for weekends and days off.  Since I love my family so much, the chance to be with them, doing whatever it is we choose to do, excites me at the beginning of each day.

How would your life be different if you took even a moment at the end of each day to spend with people you love?  or even a moment to reflect on the 2 or 3 best occurrences of the day?  What made this day special?  I bet there was something.