Have a great day.” Do you say this often? Do you hear this regularly? Do you hate it? Do you appreciate it?

This is a phrase that can be dissected to death just as the line, how are you? too can be analyzed, critiqued and pulled apart until your brain hurts.

This knee jerk greeting often rolls off the tongue without as much thought as, “How are you?”, however I do believe both are mostly heart inspired phrases and well-intended. I imagine we can agree, these two common American phrases are quite paradoxical. Drinking out of my “Have a Great Day” mug that has the drawing of a hand giving the middle finger (speaking of paradoxical), for those in front of the one sipping out of the cup to see—I was inspired to create a list of ways that one can truly have a great day.

I encourage you to make your own list and see what speaks to you from the random, spontaneous list I created.

First, before I unroll, unfurl, and unveil the list it is vital to note my biggest pet peeve. When a person thinks one moment, makes a “bad” day. It is ten a.m. in the morning for example and coffee has spilled, and a fender bender has occurred. These things in my opinion DO NOT MAKE A BAD day. The day has just begun and a few unfortunate, perhaps even challenging and difficult things have happened, this need not determine a “bad” day. Even if ten things have made you cry, these moments do not make a “bad” day. That’s the pet peeve part, when I have had some challenges and a friend says, oh, sorry you are having a bad day. Day isn’t over. A series of unpleasant events doesn’t not get the right to stake claim on “bad”.

As I pick up my megaphone for this, I want it said in print that “good”, “bad”, and even “great” are all objectionable, debatable and personal. And all necessary. Yes, even the shitty and crappy must occur as they are fertilizer for the good and great.

I want to share my Pollyanna vibes that it is the small things, moments, events and occurrences that have dynamic power to make something great. No matter your relationship with the phrase, “Have a Great Day” here is my list of small things, acts, experiences that have the power to shift a day to greatness. Let’s see what your truth is, toss out anything that doesn’t align for you into the trash. Or at least recycle it for someone else who may find it useful.

Ways to Have a Great Day:

1. Sing loud
2. Sing louder with a friend
3. Share—an idea, shoulder, helping hand
4. Dance alone in the kitchen
5. Dance with another
6. Rest, even a ten-minute nap
7. Laugh at yourself
8. Laugh more than once
9. Laugh with another
10. Cry, without apology, on your own or with someone that doesn’t tell you to stop
11. Read, a poem, a book, a page or two
12. Pray, without words
13. Pray with another
14. Live your life as a prayer
15. Witness beauty, point it out to another
16. Stop in your tracks when you see the moon or hear a bird
17. Listen — deeply to your wise Self
18. Act upon what you hear from your wise self
19. Don’t let another’s unpleasantness ruin your moment
20. Stop comparison, to another version of Self and definitely not to another
21. Get out of your head, drop into your heart and gut
22. Be kind, first to Self, then to another
23. Allow the unfolding
24. Trust, yourself and life
25. Believe in your abilities
26. Believe in miracles
27. Trust life
28. Trust another
29. Play
30. Surrender
31. Create—a meal, a batch of cookies, a conversation, an idea, a letter, a journal entry, a picture, a life altering movement, anything that involves starting from nothing
32. Spread joy, be joy, receive joy
33. Receive – a gift, an offer, a moment of grace
34. Learn something new
35. Stop comparison
36. Play or listen to music
37. Turn up the music
38. Reflect on the good
39. Visualize good in the future
40. Adjust negative, deflating thoughts to positive ones
41. Do a little dance
42. Make a little love
43. Get down tonight
44. Pick flowers
45. Whatever you created in #31, share with another
46. Don’t take yourself seriously
47. Take yourself seriously
48. Love yourself
49. Love another
50. Do nothing
51. Be productive
52. Honor your jam, if it’s nothing or something
53. Pet a dog
54. Hold a baby
55. Live your life on purpose, one day at a time
56. Choose love
57. Choose joy

Tomorrow I could make another list with completely new items. This is what resonates today. Why 57? It’s the age I recently turned this month. No particular reason other than I wanted to pick a meaningful number, meaningful to me at least. A number that stretched me a bit.

I wonder what is on your list. Make your own list of 1 or 10 or 100. Write down the things that matter to you and when you are having a “bad” day…pick one. Then do it.

Yes, we need bad days to notice what matters to us and what is necessary to shift and readjust, and course correct. And an entire day is not lost to “bad” when there are moments alongside it that bathe you in love, offer joy or give you a break in numerous ways from the pain, loss, confusion, and struggle.

Have a great day.

Cheers, Jenny