You know that old saying about “waking up on the wrong side of the bed”? Do you ever just feel like from the very start of the day, things are going wrong? It can be really hard to turn it around when a day starts off with a negative tone. But did you know that YOU are completely in control of this? Yes, YOU have the power to change your day. Circumstances and other people do not control how you feel about your day. They do not determine your happiness.

You do.

Every morning on the way to school, my son asks me to play a very specific song from one of our CDs:
“Best Day of My Life” by American Authors


He says it makes him have his best day ever, even if he didn’t sleep well, or isn’t feeling great (like his mom, he’s not a morning person).
This is his routine, and every morning, rain or shine, his little face lights up and his little foot starts tapping when the song starts. By the end, he’s singing along and when he gets out of the carpool line and heads into Kindergarten, he looks back and gives me a little wave and a big smile and says, “Have the BEST day, Mom!”

I try. I really try to remember the wisdom from that little boy, but some days just really kick you when you’re down.
Some days are difficult to call our “best days”.

I was having one of those days when this song came on the radio at random. I remembered how his face lights up. I remembered how he tells me every day to have my “BEST day”.

I chose to change my mood right then and there. I chose to bring a little bit of that youthful joy into my heart and into my day.

I sang along to the words just as he does every morning and I felt the crankiness, the worry, and the anxiety slipping away. This could be the best day of my life… if only I allowed it.

I needed to learn to be more like my boy.

Every morning while listening to this song, my son says, “This is the best day of my life!”

I asked him why. His reply:

“Well, it’s a fresh new day. I’ve never lived this one before and ANYTHING could happen!”

He’s SO right! Every day we get a fresh start on a brand new day. Every day we have the chance to make this the best day of our lives.

What a wonderful gift we are given and far too often we take it for granted. <3

Let’s stop doing that. Let’s be grateful for the gift of a new day. Let’s make it our best day ever!

What if you struggle with this? What if it doesn’t come as easy to you as it does an innocent young child?

I get it.

You’ll notice above that I said I “chose” to change my mood. That’s the most important key here. We always have a choice. We have a choice to allow the negativity to creep in and

Here are some ways to turn that bad day around:

  • Listen to an upbeat song or your favorite song
  • Complete a task you’ve been putting off for a while
  • Indulge in some “me time”
  • Talk to a friend
  • Think about what you can learn from this experience
  • Focus on GRATITUDE
  • Journal your thoughts
  • Exercise/ go for a run
  • Do some meditation or yoga

These are just a few ideas to help you pull yourself out of a bad mood. Remember, days are just days. They’re only “good” or “bad” when we make it so. What do YOU do to have the best day of your life? Let us know in the comments. 🙂