I try not to tell people to “have a good day.” Instead, I go with my standard “enjoy your day.” I believe it’s a subtle yet significant difference.
When I say “enjoy your day,” I mean so many things…
I mean live in the moment. We shouldn’t just get through this hour, this work day, this month, while we focus on some mystical future oasis. This is life, right now…right here. We need to enjoy it. One of my favorite quotes is ‘happiness isn’t a destination. It’s the journey.’ Whatever we are chasing –love, wealth, success – isn’t going to make us happy. Happiness is within us. We just need to let go of our illusion of what happiness should be and realize what happiness is. We need to find the enjoyment in the ordinary.
I also mean no one is handing out good days like they are a free coffee refill. If it was that easy, I’d be pouring up big, overflowing mugs of ‘have a good day.’ Not every day can be good. Sh#t happens! We can’t control life. We can only control our response to the bad things that happen in our lives. And even then, we can’t always control saying the wrong thing, texting an emotional tirade or just doing the absolute worst thing for the situation. We’re human. As a species, we’re flawed. All we can do is practice being kinder. And we can start enjoying the good AND the challenging stuff. We learn from both.
I mean too that it’s our day to enjoy. We can actively enjoy the day by choosing wisely. Wednesday night I was wrestling with a work issue. I was up fretting from 2am to 4pm. I fell back to sleep but woke up at 8:10. I missed writing, the dreadmill, showering and my walk to work. I was rushed and cranky. I could have not enjoyed my day. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. Then a friend broadened my perspective and I climbed out of that black hole. I did enjoy my day! I was productive at work. And I went with Joel and Jen to the Cubs game that night. It was all enjoyable! I slept great and woke up early. And I chose to boost myself up in my enjoyment zone this morning by sipping coffee in the tub watching “The Mindy Project.” It worked. I AM enjoying my day. I hope you are too!