My husband loves to quote Coach Willie Taggart, “The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude. So go have a great day if you want to!” We repeat this quote a lot to each other and to our kids, especially on Mondays. It’s a big responsibility to have a great day. There are so many obstacles in the way. Traffic, cranky people, an off-putting comment, an overflowing in-box, less than good sleep the night before, all seem to be roadblocks to the choice of having a great day. That’s the key word, though, right? Choice. We choose how we look at traffic, cranky people, annoying comments, huge workloads and sleepiness.
In today’s world, sometimes it doesn’t feel cool to be Pollyanna. You are almost expected to be cynical and sarcastic, if you want to be considered smart and “in the know.” In the end though, what matters more? How you perceive others to consider you to be or how you feel at the end of another precious day in your life? Traffic can be turned into the blessing of having a car, and having forced alone time to think and contemplate and rest, in your car. Cranky people can be a lesson in empathy and sending a silent prayer or blessing that connects you and the upset person to a force that holds both of you in the Highest of esteem. Annoying comments can be a lesson in self awareness as to why the comment pricked us and could there be merit or a lesson in the thought, despite its unfavorable form of transport? Huge workloads force us to prioritize and take tasks, methodically, one at a time. I read once that we are all going to die with our in-boxes full. Again, it is looking at things in a different perspective. Sleepiness is just our bodies telling us to remember to prioritize our rest. A quote I often think of is that your body is your soul’s address. Be a good landlord.
I don’t think having a great day is always an easy task in our modern world. But it is a task that I think is definitely worth pursuing. So, thanks Coach, I will have a great day. If I want to . . . .