Good Day
I recently received a message from a colleague that asked if I was having a good week. I read it and paused before answering because it felt like such a sad question. It presupposes that there is such a thing as a bad week. A week is a long time in life, and I am very interested in living in each moment for whatever it brings to my life. It is hard for me to think that a whole week could be bad. Even in depression, illness or grief, I haven’t felt like a week deserved to be written off for poor behavior. There are better moments than others. And sometimes there are ten challenging minutes to get through to feel a little lighter. When I worked jobs that required more physical labor in the past, I remember having a mantra that I could put up with anything for two hours. The thought that there was a break coming provided hope. Feeling trapped like a modern-day Gulliver is scary.
Intend to have a Better Day
If you are reading this, you possess the ultimate advantage of creating a day that is very satisfying. You can afford to make many choices. These are priceless. If you count up the number of choices you possess in an average day, you might find a few new avenues to select an alternate. Veering off the beaten path a little changes the view. If you really want to be daring, try a day where a partner or child makes some choices for you. You will immediately miss your own ability to control, and you will be subject to the whims of someone else. Even in the little choices like what clothing to wear, what to eat, what entertainment to select or even what time to go to bed your eyes will be opened to the fact that there are endless choices out there. We tend to repeat most of our activities because they worked, and we are comfortable with that knowledge. No surprises.
Quicksand Day
Not every surprise is good. In many movies, finding quicksand first is usually bad. You get stuck and start to sink. The odd thing to know about quicksand is that if you stop struggling, you last longer. And you only need to last long enough for the person behind you to find a great big stick or handy rope to pull you out. Crisis averted. But we do get stuck sometimes. Life gets a little boring. We look outside of ourselves for relief. Scrolling too much, eating or drinking what we shouldn’t, avoiding anything that seems like too much trouble or blaming the gods doesn’t provide any relief. Mentally, there was really no change. The relief comes from digging around inside ourselves long enough to make a convincing argument to do something new or different. The brain won’t like you poking around until you have told it the new direction. When you instruct it about why the path has changed, it may help you search though. Be convincing on the why.
Stunning Day
Once you have created some days with new diversions, the next step is to go bigger. After all, if you can elevate an average day, you are one step closer to gold. It’s all in your head. Make a list of what would be an ultimate experience for a day. Choose the best scenario for each available activity. You don’t necessarily have to do them all, but it might be exciting to try one or two. You can gradually grow your confidence in being the creator of a stunning life. The list should have no limitations. Don’t get stuck in what was previously thought possible. The rope is right in front of you just waiting for you to grab it and feel the power of escaping that gradual sinking sensation. Put out your hands and let yourself enjoy the exhilaration of choosing for yourself.
Try to identify those moments of boredom throughout your day. Can you pick just one to practice change on? Are you brave enough to let someone else make some new choices for you? Can you start a day by deliberating not doing what you always do?
