How to Guarantee a GREAT Day Every Day!

I have a standing interview every Monday morning on a radio station in the southeast that I enjoy very much. You can imagine though that it can become routine. So to make it a little more fun, the host nowadays doesn't even tell me the topic before we go live on the air - that puts some excitement into it!

This past week he asked me the following question cold at the beginning of the show: How can a person guarantee that they will have a great day, every day? Now some may find that a hard question but for me it was actually a very easy question to answer (a little harder to actually live, but not that hard). You see, I believe in principles that govern our lives so that we can control our destinies and create for ourselves the kind of lives that we desire. People who live based on principles achieve what they desire while people who live reacting to circumstances do not.

So, what were the principles that I gave to guarantee that a person could have a GREAT day every day? Here they are:

Focus on today only. Yes, we need to have long-range goals. But our focus must be on today. My old equation is that your short-term tasks multiplied by time equal your long-term accomplishments. With that in mind, it is imperative that we focus in on our short-term, to control it and make it what will eventually, when multiplied by time, equal our long-term goals. Don't think about tomorrow. Today is enough trouble in and of itself. You can work on tomorrow when it gets here. Instead, make today the best day you have ever had. Realize that when you lay down to sleep tonight you will have just given up the only shot you will ever have at today. Today is now gone and it is only a memory. You only get one shot at your today so focus intently on making it all that it possibly can be. Focus, focus, focus! When you focus on making today great, you are on the road to guaranteeing that you will make your day GREAT, every day!

Embrace your power to choose. Dwight D. Eisenhower said that "The history of free men is never written by chance but by choice, their choice." When your today becomes your yesterday, you will look back and realize that that day was a result of your choices and your choices only. "But wait Chris, what if my boss controlled my day? That isn't my choice!" But it is your choice to work for someone else! You choice to let someone else tell you what to do. You chose the feelings of helplessness that overwhelm you when you feel bad that you do not control your own destiny. The moment we realize that we have a gift from God that the animals do not have, mainly the gift of free will and choice, and when we realize the inherent power within that gift, and ultimately when we finally begin to exercise that gift, then and only then, will we begin to create for ourselves a GREAT day each and every day! Take ownership of the direction in your life. Make your choices then carry them out!

Your attitude is up to you. Yes, bad things may happen in your day. The pitcher for Team Circumstances may have a tremendous curveball waiting for you and you cannot control that. You cannot control what others may do or say. But you do control your attitude. Your attitude about whatever happens to you is up to you.

When something happens to you, you have the choice: Will you let it get you down and depressed, keeping you from forging ahead and making the day the best one ever? Or will you say to yourself that no matter what happens you are on the path to success and no obstacle will keep you from it? Will you say, "Sometime you win and sometimes you lose - I guess this time I lost"? Will you say, "Sometime you win and sometimes you learn - I can really learn something from this!"?

It is all in what attitude we choose. Your attitude is up to you and when you choose to have a great attitude, you are choosing to guarantee to have a GREAT day, every day!

Live out and act on your priorities. So far we have dealt with internal perspectives, and that is indeed the place to start. But the practical place is in our priorities. If we want to make our days great, then we have to live out those things that will by definition make our days great. And those things are what are important to us. They are our priorities. So each morning you start out by saying, "What things are important to me today? What are the things I need to accomplish in order for me to lay down tonight and know that I lived a GREAT day?" Then you put those in order of most important to least important. Don't so what is fun. Don't do what is easy. Do what is IMPORTANT! Live out your priorities! When you do, you will guarantee that you will make your day GREAT, every day!

Tomorrow, when you wake up, go through the four following points and see if you don't make tomorrow a GREAT day: Focus on today only. Understand that I get to choose how today will go. Remain in a positive attitude no matter what happens. Live out and act on my priorities.

Do this and you will guarantee a GREAT day, every day!

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.

Ethan Allen Expands to Europe
WELT ONLINE, Germany - 7 hours ago
An international network of 295 interior design centers feature Ethan Allen’s single-brand-strategy and inspirational lifestyle displays, of which 159 are ...
Ethan Allen plans European expansion CNNMoney.com
all 5 news articles

Inspirational talks
Northern Echo, UK - 41 minutes ago
DESIGN businesses and would-be entrepreneurs can attend a series of talks in the North-East to look at what people use for inspiration. ...

Bon Appetit magazine will award the most inspirational ...
PR-CANADA.net (press release), Montenegro - Sep 7, 2008
Men in the Los Angeles area who suffer from the symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate now have the option of out-patient, in-office treatment to ...

The Palin family is truly inspirational
Chicago Daily Herald, IL - Sep 6, 2008
... whether she can do it all but rather an interview which focuses on the strategic plan this couple has crafted for their family. A truly inspirational story.

Mother, daughter unite to organize inspirational conferences
Arizona Republic, AZ - Sep 5, 2008
by Sonja Haller - Sept. 6, 2008 12:00 AM Somehow, Liz Dawn's mother knew an earthquake was coming. She urged her daughter to leave Los Angeles and return to ...

Palin is inspirational leader
Times-Journal, AL - Sep 5, 2008
By Kelly Townsend Arizona Sen. John McCain announced the governor of Alaska would be his running mate on the Republican ticket, and it left many searching ...

CricInfo.com
Tony Lock: Aggressive Master of Spin
CricInfo.com, UK - 6 hours ago
A fiery, brilliant left-armer who reinvented his action twice during a long career, a truly great close fielder, and an inspirational captain, ...

What's your favorite inspirational story in baseball (or sports)?
Baltimore Sun, United States - Sep 5, 2008
Daily Think Special: What’s your favorite example of an inspirational tale in baseball? How about in sports in general?

An Inspirational Success
Long Beach Post Sports, CA - Sep 6, 2008
In May, the class of 2007 graduated and this inspirational moment calls for days full of celebrations which is exactly what many of my peers did these past ...

Hindu
Proactive, aggressive and inspirational
Hindu, India - Sep 4, 2008
He is proactive and aggressive, inspirational and calm. And he delivers under pressure. The wicketkeeper-batsman has grown and evolved. ...

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Attaining Financial Freedom