Make it a Good Day!


There's a local minister who has a 60-second spot on a popular radio station. You might think 
that 60 seconds of simple audio would have little impact in today's fast-paced, over-stimulated, 
highly visual world.  But as I listen to the spot several times a week, I continue to be amazed by 
how much wisdom and practicality can be packed into 60 seconds!  It's a time I look forward to 
every week.

As much as I enjoy and benefit from the messages themselves, what always impresses me 
most is the minister's parting shot.   He ends every message with the phrase, "make it a good 
day."  He doesn't say, "I hope you have a good day."  It's simply "make it a good day."  

Webster's dictionary indicates that the word "make" is an active verb.  It is defined as to create 
or bring about.  Does the minister mean that we each have the ability or the power to decree 
how our day will be, to MAKE our own day?

If your new year's reading has included recent WorldWideWords here on the Northside site, you 
know we've been talking about proactivity – about being responsible for your life, about 
MAKING things happen.  (If you missed the series, an Archives link is below.)  

Maybe you're thinking that there are so many things over which you have little control, that you 
cannot MAKE happen. Maybe you're thinking about that fellow in the car who almost ran you off 
the road.  Or the boss who chewed you out because you were late to work….because of an 
interstate accident…..because of a careless driver.  Not your fault, right?  Perhaps an illness 
impacts you, one neither you nor the doctors can heal.  

You're right.  There are some things in life over which you have little control.  But one of the 
things over which you always have full control, and which can drastically change your life, is 
your attitude—your response to things that may be out of your control.  I saw a sign recently that 
said, "One of life's greatest freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given set of 
circumstances."

You may not be able to change the rudeness of the service provider, or the discomfort of the 
weather, or your health.  But you CAN change YOUR RESPONSE.  I think of two ladies I know.  
One is very mobile, living a fairly normal life.  Yet she never fails, with sad countenance, to 
recount her miseries – her headaches, her family woes, her bad luck.  Another lady is bed-
ridden after years of illness, multiple surgeries, and continuing declining health.  Yet it is a joy to 
be in her presence.  She steers conversations away from her health to your life.  She focuses 
on friends rather than on her own problems.  She still enjoys life and is one of the greatest 
encouragers I know.  While she has little control over her health and its misery, she has full 
control over her attitude and its impact on the day.

Your glass can be half-empty or half-full – the choice and the power are within your control.  
Remember, what you do and who you are and who you become are an empowerment within 
your decision and your proactivity.  Remember that one of life's greatest freedoms is to choose 
your attitude in any given set of circumstances.  

And make it a good day!