What makes a day great?  What makes one day better than another?  What is it that energizes us to smile and say, “That was a great day!”? How can we make our days as great as possible?

We often tell each other to have a nice day or maybe even a great day.  Although those are pleasant comments that I use daily, I also like to challenge myself to, “Make it a great day.”  The one-word difference makes us put action into our day.  It assumes that we are going to set out to turn the day into something great.

A great day for me is very simple.  It is when I am able to leave something better than the way it was when I found it.   This applies to just about everything in life.  Sometimes it is as simple as making a meal that when put together is far tastier than its separate parts.  Sometimes it is as precious as making someone’s day a little brighter. 

I have had days where I felt defeated, violated, lost, and empty inside.  However, I have always been able to hang on to hope.  I have been blessed with the ability to rely on my faith.  Through prayer, I am always able to find a piece of hope.  I don’t think about the bad, I concentrate on moving forward and on finding something that was made better.

I remember interviewing for a particular position over a 5-month time frame.  I had jumped through all the hoops and was on the last interview with the chairman of the board.  At the time, all the other candidates had been eliminated.  I went into the interview thinking it was a formality but immediately felt something unusual happening.  I was not being questioned, I was being told how I was not right for the position.  The chairman had never met me but clearly decided that the position was not going to be filled by me.  If I had recorded his conversation, this very prominent business owner would have been in significant trouble with the law.

I walked out of the chairman’s office, sat in my car, and tried to figure out what just happened.  I took a deep breath and thanked God for blocking me from having to work with such an individual.  As it turns out, the chairman of the board had a hand-chosen candidate for the position.  The important point of this example is that I had a choice between making this a bad day or considering it a blessing.   

One essential part of making my day great is taking the focus off of me.  The chairman had a hand-picked candidate for the position.  I realized that it wasn’t me or my qualifications that prevented me from securing the position.  I took the focus off me and was able to find the good in the situation.

I apply the same strategy to my everyday life.  I don’t focus on what I have to do, I prepare a list for that!  I simply work down the list.  Instead of focusing on the fact that I have to complete the task, I look at how I can leave that task better than when I started.

It is a simple change in mindset.  Instead of looking at the task as having to complete it, I think about how it will be better once it is finished.  

Make it a great day! 

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