Have you ever gotten up in the morning and felt like your day was going to be crappy? Maybe you were in a bad mood or not feeling particularly well and weren’t starting your day in a positive mood. Perhaps that’s a common occurrence or on the other hand, you may not give much thought to how the day is going to shape up. There’s a famous French saying – C’est la vie summed up by the old song “whatever will be, will be.”
I’m a firm believer that being intentional can change your day and even your life. Every day first thing in the morning I say to myself “today is going to be the best day of my life.” And I can feel the difference it makes when I say it. It would be great if I’d thought of this practice myself but I actually borrowed it from a woman named Tao Porchon-Lynch.
Now, Ms. Porchon-Lynch[1] knows a thing or two about living. She’s 98 years old and is recognized as the world’s oldest yoga instructor. For over 75 years she’s been teaching yoga. Oh, and by the way, she’s also an active ballroom dancer.
What’s her secret? She relates during a TEDx Columbia talk that she wakes up every day and says to herself “today is going to be the best day of my life.” [2] Think about that for a minute. That’s a very positive statement that flies in the face of C’est la vie. Boldly declaring – and believing – that this is going to be the best day of your life immediately puts you on a positive path for the day. When you take this path you can’t then just shrug off the day and say “Oh well, whatever happen’s happens.” That’s way too passive for me. When we’re passive we accept whatever comes along. That’s a very lackluster way to go about the day.
But Tao’s secret goes deeper than just a positive attitude and affirmation. Her philosophy on life is a belief that there isn’t anything we can’t do. So I believe a big factor is that she lives life with intention. What does it take to be intentional? A belief that you can change things. It’s being decisive and making a choice about what you want and then moving into action to make it happen. Being intentional is the opposite of being passive. Each day we have 1,440 minutes. By being intentional we decide what to make of those minutes.
That’s why I decided to take Tao up on her challenge. Every day I start my day with a positive attitude and declaring that today is going to be the best day of my life. Regardless of how I initially feel, I know I can improve it. So how do you have the best day of your life? Three simple steps will help.
Declare it. Start your day on a positive note and put your desire and belief out there. It’s really simple – just say: “Today is going to be the best day of my life!”
Be creative. Just the process of thinking about how you can make today the best day of your life will start your creative juices flowing. Once you start thinking about how this is going to be the best day of your life, you’re stimulating your own creative ability.
Open to it. Once you’ve consciously and subconsciously put a plan in place, look for evidence along the course of the day that your best day is happening.
I encourage you to try it for one week. After all, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by having the best day of your life each and every day.
[1] ABC News, Published on Nov 13, 2015
[2] There is nothing you cannot do, Tao Porchon-Lynch, TEDxColumbiaSIPA, Published on Jun 30, 2014
Every morning I wake up and thank God for whatever he has planned for me. I figure he gets to decide anyway so I might as well get the transfer of power going In the right direction before I have a chance to mess it up.
Like Chris I have a system of steps each morning that relax, calm and inspire me. I ease my way into the day armed with the frame of mind and tools to travel today’s journey.
Great post! Every morning I visualize how the rest of my day will unfold. Then I figure out how to survive the experience. I’m going to also add how I can have fun during such tribulations.
Thanks Chris! I like your add of looking for ways to bring fun into the daily process.