Not everyone can have a great day. The sun doesn’t always shine. Factually, the customer isn’t always right. The traffic lights aren’t always in sync. BUT, EVERYONE CAN HAVE A GOOD DAY. Let me give you 4 ingredients for having a good day.

1. DO SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DO.

Nothing puts a cloud over a sunny day any more than mind-wrestling a To-Do list. Go ahead and get crankin’ on that to-do item staring at you like a mean dog. At least start on it. Take a small step, it may prompt another. Doing all or part of something that needs to be done is a push toward the finish.

2. DO SOMETHING YOU LIKE TO DO.

Your day isn’t complete until you’ve done something for yourself. That’s not selfish, it’s actually generous. When you reward yourself for doing something you like to do, you’ll be in a better condition to serve others. Take yourself out for breakfast or lunch. Grab a book and go to a secluded spot, without looking around or back. Time for yourself will give you a boost for giving time to others. The “break” in “breakthrough” is like a musical Rest before the Crescendo

3. PLAN SOMETHING YOU NEED TO DO.

I don’t know what there is about a plan, but when it starts coming together it’s like washing down an energy bar with an Espresso. (Or if you’re from West Virginia like me, it’s like washing down a Moon Pie with an RC Cola.) A visionary, well-crafted development plan has legs. You may not get past the planning stage today, but you’ll be farther along than yesterday!

4.  LEARN ABOUT SOMETHING YOU’VE WANTED TO DO.

Some people can learn in four minutes online what it takes forever in a classroom to learn. You can go tuition free to the “University of the Internet.” Plug a how-to in your day. There are multiplied thousands of crash courses online that won’t necessarily make your computer crash. Guard your mind and your time while surfing, but go ahead and learn how to ride the crest of the new wave.

You don’t have to make a day out of these four ingredients, but take a taste of each and you’ll have a better day. “Annie” was right “tomorrow is only a day away.”

–Stan Toler