So You Had a Bad Day

Photo by: Rory M.

It's been a bad morning, I thought to myself as I entered the building I work in. No sooner had I thought it when all of my other mental functions came to a screeching halt, as if to say, "What what what are you doing?" (Yes, my brain activity is narrated by Brian Gallivan.)

All morning, I had been mentally compiling a list of all of the "bad things" that contributed to my "bad morning". Here's the list:

• The one day I remember to charge my iPod, I drop it on cement and cannot revive it. 
• The train is 40 minutes late. 
• My eyeliner is uneven (and it's driving me crazy). 
• I am forced to change trains due to engine failure. 
• I arrive an hour late to work. 
• The eyeliner is beyond the point of no return. Smudge, smudge, smudge, smudge...

It's so easy to take all of these truly horrible events and resign to today being an awful day, but then I thought, How egocentric is that? Today didn't just decide to hate on me. I woke up truly excited for it. Then, I started listing all the great things about today:

• My boyfriend planned a surprise date for us.
• I'm wearing a new dress that only cost me ten dollars. 
• I created a new hairstyle that I'm in love with. 
• Um, hello? It's Friday. 
• And lastly, I'm alive, healthy, employed, and I have so much in my life that is a luxury in many parts of the world.

This isn't a "First World Problems" rant, but a little perspective helped me to adjust my attitude. The "poor me attitude" wasn't going to affect just me; it was going to affect my coworkers, my friends, my boyfriend, and my family. I figured that the things that contributed to my bad morning were not so bad that my loved ones needed to suffer with me.

I guess the point of this is to remind you that sometimes a lot of little bad things happen in the same day. That doesn't make it a bad day. The moment you brand it "a bad day", it seems like everything falls into place to make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Don't do it. Be proactive. And have a good day.

Rory