A good day can easily be defined by our wins, the things we accomplished, the boxes we checked off, or simply feeling like we got something done. But can we still call it a good day when we are not feeling our best? What about when circumstances beyond our control change the plans we had for ourselves?
Why do we put so much pressure on what a day is supposed to look like?
Sometimes we wake up already having a picture in our minds of how the day should go. We have plans, goals, responsibilities, and expectations. When everything falls into place, we feel accomplished. We feel good about the day.
But what happens when none of it goes according to plan?
What if we looked at each day as something that does not have to be completely sketched out before we live it? A day that gives us room to adjust, change our thoughts, slow down, or simply take it as it comes.
Maybe you stayed home and did absolutely nothing.
Maybe you had a list of ten things and only completed one.
Maybe you woke up feeling great and somewhere along the way the day completely changed.
Or maybe getting through the day was the accomplishment.
Does any of that automatically make it a bad day?
I think sometimes we place so much value on productivity that we forget there are other ways for a day to have meaning. Rest can have meaning. A conversation can have meaning. Laughing at something small can have meaning. Sitting quietly with your thoughts can have meaning. Giving yourself permission to not have everything figured out can have meaning too.
There are also going to be days when we are simply not at our best. Life happens. Our emotions change. Unexpected situations come up. Things happen that we cannot control.
We may not always get to choose what happens during our day, but we can decide how much power one difficult moment gets to have over the rest of it.
A bad morning does not have to become a bad afternoon.
An unfinished task does not erase everything else you did.
And a day without a major accomplishment is still a day you lived.
Maybe the goal does not always have to be What did I accomplish today?
Maybe sometimes the question can simply be:
What did I need today?
Did I need rest?
Did I need space?
Did I need to laugh?
Did I need to get something done?
Did I need to do absolutely nothing for a while?
Our definition of a good day may change depending on where we are in life, and I think that is okay.
Some days will be full of wins.
Some will be quiet.
Some will be messy.
Some will not go anywhere near the way we planned.
But maybe a good day does not need to be perfect, productive, or even memorable.
Maybe a good day can simply be a day where we gave ourselves what we needed and allowed that to be enough.
So before deciding whether today was a good day or a bad one, ask yourself:
What is my definition of a good day, and have I been leaving enough room for that definition to change?
Cher 🙂