It was early Spring, 1990. My Uncle Dave, working for a toy store at the time, had just scored a copy of Super Mario Brothers 3 for my Easter basket. I cannot overstate the significance of this gift. No store within a fifty mile radius had the game in stock. This cartridge was so hot, it should have been labeled flammable. I was about to become the envy of the neighborhood and, for all I knew, the tri-state area.
I spent the next fourteen hours with my sweaty little thumbs glued to the unergonomic shape of a Nintendo controller. I think I made as far as Giant Land before passing out in front of the television from sheer exhaustion. It was a great day.
Alas, all things must pass.
Now that I’m “grown-up”, certain obligations prevent me from playing Super Mario Brothers for fourteen hour clips at a time. But I’ve discovered that I can still have a good, if not great day by adhering to these seven simple steps.
1. Get Enough Sleep
It’s pretty impossible to have a good day if you start it off already feeling drained an exhausted. Science has repeatedly shown that you need a solid eight hours of sack time in order to be functioning on all cylinders. Not getting enough sleep effects your mood, your decisions, and at some point will catch up with you in a horrible, horrible fashion.
Try turning in an hour or two earlier. Immediately you’ll start noticing some results.
2. Go Outside and Move Around
There’s plenty of evidence showing the benefits of exercising outdoors, and I believe that it is the cornerstone to both physical and mental health.
Step away from your electronic device(s), find somewhere green and walk/jog/hike/bike/frolic.
Fresh air + movement = good.
3. Eat Something Real
It’s hard to have a great day when you are trying to fuel yourself with overly processed food-like-products.
Open up those kitchen cabinets and take a serious look at the labels inside. Donate/discard anything with questionable ingredients. Use common sense to guide you (Disodium guanylate? Does that really sound like something you want to ingest?)
Create a meal using real food, meaning things that actually grow out of the ground. Your mind and body will thank you.
4. Meditate
Mediation often has a mystique associated with it, as if it were something reserved for monks sitting in temples somewhere high in the Himalayas. At its core, meditation is simple – it is the practice of being present.
Find a quiet spot, close your eyes and focus on your breath. Thoughts will inevitably arise, the key is to not get caught up in them. When you do (and I guarantee you will) just find your way back to your breath.
Practice this for about 5-10 minutes a day, and soon you will find yourself living in the moment. Not a bad place to be.
5. Create
“Create what?” you say, “Damnit man, I’m not some sort of Vinny Van Gogh!”
We are all creators in our own unique way, and it doesn’t have to involve paint, canvas, and cutting off ears. Cook an amazing meal for your wife. Write a haiku about your bearded dragon. Come up with a phat beat on your kitchen table using pencils and spoons. Design an exciting new excel template if that’s what you’re in to.
You know that feeling when you get so caught up in doing something that you completely lose track of time? That’s creation. It feeds your soul.
6. Help Someone Out
It’s often said that in order to get more, give more. I know it may sound selfish, but helping others is really about helping yourself. That’s a good thing.
It doesn’t have to be some extravagant act of philanthropy. Pay for someone’s coffee. Donate a few dollars to a favorite charity. Pick up that piece of trash off the ground.
Like it or not we are really are all family on this crazy ride around the sun. Why not make the ride a little more enjoyable for everyone?
7. Say Thank You
It’s pretty easy to focus on what we don’t have. We don’t have enough money, a big enough house, or the latest (insert material item here).
But something amazing happens when you start focusing on what you do have. You start to realize that the universe is pretty darn abundant, and your life within it is pretty darn good.
Take a few minutes and think about a couple things you are grateful for. Trust me, your day will get a little brighter.
Practice these seven steps and soon you’ll find yourself having your best day ever, everyday. Maybe you can even try firing up the old NES for an added bonus.