What Kind of Day Will You Have?
Living a purposeful life is often described as whether or not we engage in meaningful, nontrivial activities in our daily life (Scheier et al., 2006). The assumption behind this description is that when we are guided by purpose, we allocate resources and organize activities in a way that move us towards our goal. Even people who cannot clearly state a purpose in life generally wake up with an expectation for how their day will go.
Because the pandemic has drastically impacted almost every aspect of our lives, researchers wanted to know if the pandemic is impacting our expectations for having a purposeful day. They found out that daily stressors, especially those related to COVID-19, have indeed impacted whether people’s expectations of a purposeful day held true. So, what does this mean for us? Do we give up and allow these stressors to keep us from achieving our goals? What can we do?
Even under these extraordinary circumstances, we have far more control over what kind of day we will have than we may believe. That’s because we have the power to choose how we perceive the world. Another way to think about this is that when we choose our thoughts … we choose our behavior … which means we choose the outcome. Every choice we make determines how we feel physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Now, let me ask you this: How do you start your day? Is it with gratitude and happiness—or doom and gloom? A day is easily ruined if it’s started by holding on to negativity and resentment. Instead, as you begin each day, ask yourself, do I want to think and act like I did yesterday, or do I choose a new reality?
HOW TO TAKE BACK CONTROL
One way to gain more control over the type of day you will have is to set an intention for the day. An intention is a set of instructions that you give yourself that guides you throughout the day. For example, you can intend to have a productive day … you can intend to have quality time with your family and friends with no distractions … you can intend to have a fun and creative day … you can intend to have a calm and peaceful day … you can intend to learn something new or be helpful to someone. The possibilities are endless.
Whatever intention you choose, just be clear about what it is you want. It’s even better to say it out loud and find ways to remind yourself of your intention throughout the day. There aren’t any rules about the best way to do this. The only thing to remember is that no matter what you choose, just make sure it aligns to your heart, mind, and spirit. In other words, you truly need to believe it!
What kind of day do you want to have? You can make it happen. It’s not magic. All you need to remember is that you have the power to choose how you perceive the events of the day.
References
Hill, P. L., Klaiber, P., Burrow, A. L., DeLongis, A., & Sin, N. L. (2020). Great, purposeful expectations: predicting daily purposefulness during the COVID-19 response. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1-13.
Scheier, M. F., Wrosch, C., Baum, A., Cohen, S., Martire, L. M., Matthews, K. A., Schulz, R., & Zdaniuk, B. (2006). The life engagement test: Assessing purpose in life. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 3(3), 291–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-005-9044-1.