This had been one of those days where nothing seemed to go “right.” I had one raw nerve left and it was dangerously thin. Swimming always helps me deal with my frustrations and I anticipated a long, leisurely swim at the local YMCA. As I was going to change into my swimsuit, I open my gym bag to find the top open on my shampoo. Shampoo was on everything, except my bathing suit and sweatpants. I was beyond frustrated now – the raw nerve was disintegrating. I thought, “What else can go wrong?” I quickly learned what else could go “wrong.” The fire alarm was going off. Everyone is being evacuated. Being half-way changed, I put on sweatpants and bathing suit and hurried out the door to wait with everyone else in the February cold.

My “pity party” quickly changed when I saw all the very wet people from the pool. Mostly swim team members, only a few had grabbed towels on the way out. They were shivering and shaking. Sirens were now blaring and firemen were scurrying everywhere. In all the excitement one wide-eyed, dripping wet 8 year-old boy exclaimed with great joy “this has been the best day of my entire life!”

I was equally amazed and humbled. I wanted to shout back, “Well, it hasn’t been for me!” Then I was gripped with the impact of my perspective. I had allowed inconveniences to irritate me. All the inconveniences had kept me from being in the pool when the fire alarm sounded. I realized what an influence my perspective has on how I live my life. Now, I challenge myself to live life in such a way that at the end of each day, I too can exclaim, “this has been the best day of my entire life!” What would make this the best day of your entire life?

Jan Hinton is a coach, presenter and humorist. She has a unique gift of connecting the dots and finding humor in the ordinary. She can be contacted at http://www.stonesoupcoaching.com

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