(Things I learned from my son that allowed me to have a great day)

I remember being stressed about going to work one morning. I was pretty much caught between a rock and a hard place when it came to my job. It had been a while since I had any real successes. Every time I created an opportunity something would happen to sabotage it. Murphy’s Law was burning my bridges at every turn and I was feeling fed up and de-motivated.

As I sat at the kitchen table, drinking my morning coffee, dreading the day ahead, the above picture caught my eye. It was one of my son’s many drawings. I laughed to myself remembering how I once saw the world through rainbows, as he does. Then I stopped and reflected further. “Why couldn’t I be like him or at least have a day like him?”

Here are 4 principles my son follows to have the best day of his life:

1) Wake Up Happy; It Is A New Day – He wakes up early excited and pretty much happy to be alive.  For him, he expects that fun things will happen to him be it making a new friend, playing with his favorite toy or even having his favorite meal. Negative thoughts rarely enter his mind.  If his day is not going the way he would like he simply moves to principle number 2.

2) When Things Do Not Go The Way You Plan, Find A Solution And Make It Better – I rarely find him whining when things don’t go his way unless he is extremely tired. I admire how he is able to shrug things off and find an alternative to his problem. If a child does not want to play with him, he simply shrugs his shoulders and finds another child to play with. I wonder how many times as adults we continue to pursue a problem that, at the moment, cannot be solved leaving us bitter and frustrated. In the end we are left emotionally and mentally spent for a long period of time.

3) Pay Someone A Compliment – We all heard the phase or at least a version of it; “you’ll get more flies with honey than with lemons.” Not only is paying someone a compliment free but it gives both you and the recipient a good feeling.

I have seen my son go up to complete strangers and pay them a compliment. It is funny to see how their frown can change in the blink of an eye to a bright big smile. We all need a little praise now and then. If you can make someone’s day better why not do so.

4) Make Every Day An Adventure – I rarely hear my son complain that he is bored and there is nothing to do. With everything he does, be it big or small, he does it with all his might and determination. There is no wonder why people, of all ages enjoy being around him. Do people enjoy being around you?

I decided to try my son’s four principles for a day and you know what? It was not the best day of my life but it was the best I had in a very long time.

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