18 Ways To Set Up Your Day To Be An Amazing One

I believe it was Lance Armstrong who once said, "I now only have good days or great days."

When you think of it that way, every day truly is an open opportunity to love more, grow more, share laughter with a friend or to help somebody in need. No day is wasted when your mind is set to only have good days or great days.

I have found that many of my awesome days have many common characteristics: shared in good company, allowing the day to unfold without rushing anything, getting excited by a community project, or simply being happy with the abundance that is in my life.

Though we can’t predict what will happen in the course of a day, there are many things we can do to make our mind, body and spirit CONDUCIVE to having a great day. We can get a good night’s sleep so we are mentally alert enough to appreciate the good things in life and physically rested enough to jump onto a fun, spontaneous activity after a day of work. We can get in the habit of meditating, or even creating one new intention every morning.

And even if your day turns out pretty stressful (work overload) or annoying (long wait at the DMV), if you make it a point to squeeze in an ‘I love you’ or a hilarious phone conversation with a loved one, then your day is still pretty great at the end.

1. Get 7-9 hours of sleep. It’s hard to have an awesome day when you are sleep-deprived, cranky, and annoyed with ilfe. 

2. That being said, some of the best days ever (an all-nighter painting session, a crazy early morning road trip drive, a rocking concert four hours away, one of those life-changing conversations that go on until three in the morning) involve having ridiculously inadequate amounts of sleep. Be open for those.

3. Meditate. Meditation makes everything better. It trains your monkey brain to slow down, go with the flow and truly appreciate the present.

4. Say "I love you" to someone: your spouse, your parents, your best friend, your dog. Anyone.

5. Expand your mind with what’s going on with the world for free online! I love listening to TED talks and podcasts of Radiolab. Most recently, I’m addicted to checking out documentary episodes of Vanguard on Hulu.com.

6. Donate money online to a cause you truly care about. For me, donating money on a regular basis never fails to uplift my mood.

7. Have a weekly or monthly group gathering to look forward to. In addition to regularly volunteering for a free public art series in downtown Los Angeles which gives me the chance to connect with inspiring and creative people, I have also started meeting with a small creative collective where we help each other finish our respective creative projects. Both group meetings lead to some pretty amazing days.

8. Keep your space clutter-free. Whether you believe in feng shui or not, I really believe that regularly de-cluttering your living space opens your life to new energy and new flow.

9. Be impassioned about a cause for the greater good. You will never run out of work to do, or ideas for making the world a better place.

10. Enjoy nature. Even if it’s just one minute gazing up at the leaves of the tree standing in front of your building, some greenery in your daily life does a whole lot of good.

11. Remember that the majority of amazing days and amazing moments happen offline. So make a point to unplug and recharge yourself in the real world often.

12. Fill your head with inspirational stories of inspirational heroes. My hero of the moment is Somaly Mam, a Cambodian woman who was sold into sex slavery as a young girl and is now a worldwide international hero for the work she does with her organization in helping former sex slaves rebuild their lives. Remembering people like her inspires me to make the most of my day.

13. Avoid stagnancy at all costs. Wasting your time on a passive activity (playing online games, watching a lot of TV, etc.) on a regular basis means you will have many mediocre days with little personal growth. Filling your time with active activity means you will have many great days with constant exciting developments.

14. Just go ahead and pin down that dream vacation date. Do it. Just do it. And book those tickets / hotel rooms. You’ll feel AWESOME! 

15. Do something really fun and indulgent for yourself. Order that dessert. Schedule that one-hour massage and facial. Order an overpriced drink at a bar at five in the afternoon. Constant fun treats make for some pretty amazing days. 

16. Enjoy a mundane activity with a close friend. A walk to the park, a trip to the bookstore, watching T.V., a homecooked meal are some of the mundane activities that become meaningful when shared with someone who knows you inside and out.

17. Drink lots of water. It sounds silly, but it’s important! Drinking a lot of water will keep you hydrated and energized so that you will have the stamina to enjoy long, activity-filled days–or those lazy, low-key ones when you are completely happy to simply sit back and relax.

18. Get in the habit of always planning something exciting. Sometimes the anticipation of an upcoming event that you took the initiative to plan is just as pleasurable as the actual event.

PHOTO (CC): FLICKR / loop_oh