Have you have ever had a bad day?

You know the kind I’m talking about. You wake up in the morning, roll over to face your prince charming and discover he’s turned into a frog…or maybe just his breath has. Next you stumble into the kitchen for that caffeinated elixir of life only to step on a bed of nails, aka your son’s legos. Then you head to the bathroom, where you’re hoping your “mirror mirror on the wall” will tell you that “you’re the fairest one of all,” well, at least you’re hoping it might tell you some of your body parts have miraculously nipped and tucked over night. Nope, gravity is still a law that dominates life at the moment. You scrabble to get your kids ready and out the door for school while shoving a piece of toast in your mouth as you head into the joys of traffic only to spill coffee down your shirt. Of course you ladies all know where it really lands right? Then it’s on to the office where the power struggle between you and your boss, begins–again. Or, maybe it’s that one co-worker–you know the one I mean. “Sigh”… It’s only 10 o’clock in the morning. It’s going to be a great day right? Where in the world did our joy go? I’m pretty sure mine went right out the window by this point?

Maybe your day looks a little different than this, but I’m sure we can all agree that we’ve all had some bad days right?

So, how do we turn a day that’s already gone bad to a day that’s going great?

How do we go from feeling frustrate and overwhelmed to feeling like, “hey, it’s not so bad, I can do this”? Is that even possible? Yes, yes it is!

The fastest way to turn a bad day into a good day is just one simple question away. Want to know what it is? Me too.

Lol…Just kidding…Here you go:

Ask yourself, “What possible positive thing could happen from this challenge?”

“What!” Yes, seriously, “What possible positive thing could happen from this challenge?”

How could that possibly fix my bad day you ask? Well, this question will do a couple of things.

1. It makes us grateful

Being thankful changes our perspective from the negatives in our lives to the positives.

It helps us to think about what is going right in our lives instead of allowing ourselves to only think about what isn't going right.

Have you ever been upset at your spouse or maybe your child and then you heard a story about someone that lost their spouse or child suddenly? How did it make you feel toward your spouse or child? I think most of us could say we stopped being annoyed all of the sudden and began to thank God that they are still with us. I remember a car wreck that happened in our city last year that ended in the death of a mother and their ten month old baby leaving the father alone. To this day, I thank God for my families safety whenever I think of that incident. This is an example of how when we’re thankful it will change our thinking to the positive instead of continuing to dwell on the negative that we’re currently experiencing.

This works great to help us be grateful, but we want to cultivate thankfulness beyond just when something bad happens to someone else.

Write It Down

The best way I’ve found to cultivate thankfulness in my life is to purposely sit down and write down things I am thankful for. I write them in a journal so I can go back at anytime and remind myself how blessed I truly am. This also trains my mind to think positively.

Don’t think you have anything to be thankful for right now? Here’s some examples to trigger your memory:

How about clean, running water or indoor plumbing? There’s millions around the world that can’t say that.
A roof over your head? I’m pretty sure not many of you reading this blog live in a box.
Do your clothes fit too tight? You could be thankful for enough food to eat.
I’ve lost two children through miscarriage, but you know what? I’ve got three amazing, miracle, blessings at home right now that I am thankful for!
Still believing for children? You could be thankful you and your husband have the flexibility to spontaneously do whatever you want at any time with out having to plan ahead. Make use of that!

If you’re really struggling with being thankful, then I recommend you do this every day for 30 days to make it a habit. That daily discipline will help retrain your thinking. Then do it 3 or 4 times per week to keep the habit going. Once you’ve really established this habit in your life and you really notice a difference in your thought life, do it on an as needed basis.

2. It turns that bad circumstance into something that can help others

Is it possible to turn something around that was meant for bad into something good? It sure is!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 NIV

God didn’t cause that bad thing to happen to you, but with his help, He can turn it around into something good or make some good come from it.

I told you earlier that I have lost two babies through miscarriages. Now I don’t believe that was God’s best, but I do know that as I gave Him my hurt and pain, He has helped me turn that around for good. I’ve been able to help many ladies who have gone through similar things walk through the healing process. I’ve also been able to be a great inspiration to others who are believing God for children. Because even though I had medical issues making it difficult initially to have children, I now have three, beautiful, healthy children.

That’s God turning it around for good. What happened wasn’t good, but I’ve been able to help others that I wouldn’t have other wise been able to help.

Now, what would you think would have happened if I had not asked myself, “What possible positive thing could happen from this challenge”? What would have happened if I had chosen to become angry and bitter about my losses? Could I have healed like I did? Could I have helped those other ladies walk through their healing process? I’m confident I wouldn’t have been able to make a positive impact if I had chosen to focus on the bad that happened instead of choosing to be thankful for what I did have and believing that God would turn this around for good.

By asking yourself, “What possible positive thing could happen from this challenge?” You’re opening yourself up to experiencing joy in your life on a daily basis rather than letting circumstances dictate when your can experience joy and when you can’t.

Not only that, you’re positioning yourself to make an impact on others just walking this out in your every day life.

Podcast-Blog

How To Turn A Bad Day Into A Great Day