Sometimes it can be really darn difficult to picture the happy. Like when you’re running on fumes (never a good idea, but sometimes can’t be helped) and something likely innocuous freaks you out and sends you into a tailspin (like having the boss who scares the bejeezus out of you pop in unannounced and scowl…even when you know you’re doing a great job, thankyouverymuch).

The Bucket. (You can't tell, but it's pretty full.)

A year ago, this would have sent sensitive little me into a days-(weeks?) long freakout. This year, I’ve gotten much better at putting things into what I affectionately call my F*ck It Bucket. (Sorry Mom and Dad!) And that little scowl from the big cheese? That is deep in my bucket right now.

That said, it did rattle me a little bit, and I woke up this morning dreading work. What if I got called into his office and yelled at? In Korean culture, you don’t talk back to your boss, so defending yourself isn’t really part of the game. Not an easy thing for an opinionated monkey like myself. What if I got fired?! OK, that’s the paranoia talking. Besides–the fella and I have already talked about What’s Next, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if that got put in motion much sooner than we thought.

But I value being pro-active, so I had to do something to kick this funk. After all, I’m much too busy to be grumpy. Wink, wink.

I started off with some positive thinking…which I usually broadcast on Twitter. (I never thought I’d be into Twitter, and yet…here I am.) This morning’s tweet was: “So glad it’s Thursday, and I finally slept last night! Lots to do these next few days, but feels more manageable.” Lemmetellya: that was much more upbeat than I actually felt at the time, but Fake It Til You Make It has always served me well, and this was no exception. Besides, the tweet was true: I did finally sleep, and that definitely helped. Relates to that mantra power, I believe.

The next thing I did is a combination of some of my mom’s best advice–and there has been lots of fabulous advice over the years to choose from–and visualization. First, Mama Wisdom: Always have something on your calendar that you can look forward to. It can be dinner with a girlfriend, a pedicure on your lunch break, your favorite yoga class on Sunday morning. Or, if you’re really lucky beyond anything you ever imagined, it could be a delicious honeymoon with that handsome man you plan to marry. We just booked our getaway two nights ago, and I have been fantasizing about it ever since.

This morning, to obliterate any lingering anxiety, I switched my laptop wallpaper to this:

Beach in the Dominican Republic, where we will enjoy our newlywed bliss for a week.

And man does that make me smile and feel like all is right with the world!

So what’s on your calendar to make you smile? Nothing yet? Schedule some bliss! And maybe go ahead and tack up a picture somewhere to remind of that nice little dose of joy you get to savor soon.