Ever since we received the Living Positive Psychology interventions, I had looked forward to the “Beautiful Day” exercise. I started brainstorming weeks in advance about what activities would comprise the perfect day. My number-one-most-perfect-day-ever consisted of this:
➢ Wake-up and lay in bed for about a half an hour, letting my brain wake up at its own pace.
➢ Workout for about 45 minutes. Running on the treadmill, beating my previous time.
➢ Eat a delicious breakfast at the Bread Peddler. Savoring deliciousness and not thinking about how many calories are in Mornay sauce.
➢ Go for a walk around the lake in the sunshine. Run around outside.
➢ Somehow, play with a puppy
➢ Talk to my mom
➢ Read, paint, draw or do homework outside
➢ Meet up with some friends and cook dinner, followed by cocktails.
➢ Hang out, relax, and get to bed at a reasonable hour
This perfect day, however, was not in the cards. I am in the process of switching jobs right now, and I am in the awkward phase. I’ve started the second job; but my two weeks aren’t up yet at the first job. This means a lot of twelve-hour days, which is good for money, but not so good for beautiful days. I was forced to rethink my plan.
I decided to reframe it in the context of work. Fortunately, I work with some great people who make that a lot easier. I made sure to actively look forward to working with specific people, or to plan little treats or challenges for myself at work. I planned to make a really good hazelnut latté for myself first thing when I got to work, and to really appreciate it. Or to get excited about working with Casey. Or to come up with a really tasty thing to order for lunch. I focused on how great it would be when those things happened, like a kind of “pre-gratitude”.
It worked surprisingly well. A few times, I found myself not wanting to leave work. Even after waiting tables for seven hours on half that amount on sleep. I realized that the important factors that comprised my day were positive social interaction, activity, creativity, and deliciousness. As long as those requirements are met, any day can be a beautiful day.