Today is one of those days. You know the kind where you question why you ever got out of bed. My day started early this morning at 5AM when my alarm went off. I started the day with such promise. I have been trying to get up early, and maximize my day by working when my family isn't awake, and things have gotten off to a rocky start, but TODAY WAS THE DAY!
I got up early, got dressed, packed my bag, first I was headed to the office, then off to physio, then back to the office. I took advantage of nobody else being at work, so I kept things comfortable for my pre-physio apparel, grabbed a laptop bag, and was out the door. I flew down the highway, as no one else was cruising around at 530am, and I made it to work in record time, even picking up a coffee on the way. I was crushing this day. I pulled into the parking garage, hopped out of my vehicle, and then it hit me.
I didn't have my bag. I had my laptop bag, but I didn't have my gym bag. This meant no gym clothes for physio, and no dress shirt or jacket for the office. Uh Oh. I rushed to my office, dropped off my computer and sent off my time sensitive emails (by the way it feels amazing to hit send, knowing everyone receiving your email is most likely still in bed) and then jumped back in the car. I drove all the way home, grabbed my bag, kissed my family for the second time, and then headed straight into the crush of rush hour towards physio.
I embraced the hiccup, knowing that by actually getting up early, I wasn't going to skip a beat. I cruised into Physio, started the appointment early, found out it was going to be my last appointment because things were good and headed to work. When I got to the office I immediately slipped into damage control mode, and things were off to the races. Oh... did I forget to mention that I forgot to pay for parking leaving physio because I was to busy Snapchatting, but don't worry... i figured it out... I figured it out the hard way, but I figured it out.
All this to say, today is not a bad day. Today is a good day. There were bumps in the road. There were wins and losses. There were a handful of feelings, emotions and situations that tried to de-rail me, but at this point in the day, things are going pretty well.
Here are 5 tips to Overcoming A Bad Day:
1) A BAD START DOES NOT DEFINE YOUR DAY
Things happen. Unscheduled problems pop up. Even if the first thing that happens to you on any given day is terrible, it is not an indicator of what is to come. Shake it off. Smile. Find the good in a bad situation, and move on. A Bad Start becomes a Bad Day when we choose to embrace the defeat instead of pressing forward.
2) FIND THE GOOD
No matter what the situation or circumstance. Find the Good. If we are going to dust off defeat, then we need a quick win. No matter how small that "good" is, embrace it, own it, celebrate it, and use it as your fuel for the day. You get to choose whether or not you want to live on the Dark Side. Just remember, while the Dark Side may seem to be a better fuel, and a more efficient release of your energy, you always pay for it in the long run.
3) PRESS THE RESET BUTTON
Find 5 Minutes. Find a quiet place. Turn off the lights, close your eyes, and put 5 minutes on the timer. Take a deep breath and reset your day. You could call this meditation, but Eastern meditation usually focuses around clearing your mind, here's what I want you to try. In Christianity, meditation is all about filling your mind. Fill your mind with the goodness of God. Remind yourself of the good that you've found already. Remind yourself that God's mercy is new everyday. Remind yourself that you have a job to go. Fill your mind with the good things of life, and let go of the darkness that is gnawing away at you, trying to ruin today.
4) BE GRATEFUL
In the midst of your reset shift gears. Take your reminders and turn them into moments of gratitude. Give thanks for what you have, give thanks for the small wins, focus on the good and be thankful for it. Every day counts, every moment counts, every minute matters, and we never realize it until they are gone. So choose to be grateful instead of spiteful or bitter.
5) GET SOMETHING DONE
When the odds are stacked against you, when your day is going down the drain the best way that you can stem the tide of negativity is by getting something done. Tackle a project, something that you can finish in reasonable amount of time. Find a project that you enjoy working on, and just get it done. You can turn today around by being productive. Because even if it doesn't feel good, you can overcome your emotional anecdotal evidence by reminding yourself of the facts. TODAY YOU GOT STUFF DONE.
Brett Esslinger is a Husband, Dad, Son, Brother, Pastor, Speaker, Leader, Writer whose life goal is to help people unlock their potential and fulfill their life's purpose.
Follow Brett on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook: @brettesslinger and of course over on Snapchat at: brett.esslinger