3 Simple Questions to Transform a Terrible Morning into an Awesome Day

The following is adapted from The Five Pillars of the Freedom Lifestyle by Curt Mercadante.

Have you ever woken up and thought, Crap, I have to talk to that so-and-so client today?

Or, Ugh, I just don’t feel like going to that networking event.

Some days, you wake up and feel almost immediately that it’s going to be an awful day. Maybe today is one of those days for you. Perhaps it’s because you’re dreading a meeting, or you’re up against a tough deadline. Or maybe you simply didn’t sleep well.

Whatever the cause, a terrible morning typically turns into a terrible day, but it doesn’t have to. Let’s look at three simple questions you can ask yourself to turn your terrible morning into an awesome day.

#1: What’s Awesome About Today?

If your morning is terrible before you even leave bed, it’s likely because you are thinking about terrible things to come later in the day. Those negative thoughts can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, because the conversations in your head set the tone for the day. They determine whether you are going to have an abundant day — or a day filled with scarcity.

Thoughts have incredible power over our mood and subsequent actions, so the first step to fixing a bad day is to shift your mindset. You do that by focusing on gratitude.

Ask yourself, “What’s awesome about today?”

Every single day is awesome in some way. Perhaps you’re waking up next to someone you love, or you’re going to see people you love during the course of the day. The sun is shining. You have a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head. You’re above ground instead of six feet under.

Whatever your reasons for the day being awesome, they are there. I guarantee it.

#2: What Could I Choose to Do to Make Today Even More Awesome?

This second question not only forces you to think of additional things you could add into this already awesome day, but it stresses the fact that how you spend the time in your life is entirely up to you.

Perhaps that networking event you dread yet attend weekly isn’t providing you with your desired outcomes. You keep going, however, because you feel compelled to do it. The awesome thing you could add to your day is the decision to stop attending the event.

On the other hand, maybe the networking event is producing your desired outcomes, but you still dread attending. Choose to stop at your favorite store, coffee shop, bar, or restaurant on the drive back from the event. Add something you love to the event to make it a little more awesome.

You can choose to do this. You deserve to choose to do this.

#3: How Am I Going to Make Those Things Happen?

This question is about turning your thoughts into actions. Simply shifting your mindset in a more positive direction will improve your mood, and thinking about how to make your day even more awesome will put you into an abundance mindset. But to get the most out of each day, you need to follow your thoughts up with concrete action.

Instead of just thinking about how to make today even more awesome, get up and write down the concrete steps (in your paper calendar, smartphone calendar, wall calendar, whatever) to make your plan for increased awesomeness happen.

If you decide to stop attending the weekly networking event, get up right now and email the organizers, telling them you’re stepping down. Or if you’re still going to go, get up and block off your calendar an hour or two after the event so you can stop at your favorite store or restaurant.

Remember that old saying, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” So make a plan, and make your goals reality!

Shift Your Mindset, Make a Plan, and the Rest Will Follow

No matter what we do, some mornings are just going to be worse than others. We can reduce the amount of things we hate in our day, but there are always going to be days when we have to do things that suck.

While we can’t always change our tasks and responsibilities for the day, we can change our mindset, and we can formulate a plan to make those tasks and responsibilities more palatable.

So the next time you’re having a terrible morning, follow these three simple steps to flip the script for how you want to live the day:

• Identify what’s already awesome in your day.
• Think about what can make it more awesome.
• Put together the plan to make it happen.

It’s that easy.

For more advice on transforming your mindset, you can find The Five Pillars of the Freedom Lifestyle on Amazon.

Curt Mercadante is an international speaker, coach, trainer, and disruptive entrepreneur whose mission is to save the world by helping people fight for lives of freedom and fulfillment. Curt’s speeches and training empower individuals to live their Freedom Lifestyle, and he also hosts the popular Freedom Club Podcast. Raised in the Chicago area, he and his wife, Julie, now live in Charleston, South Carolina, with their four children, when they aren’t traveling the world. Curt is a diehard fan of the White Sox, a superhero nerd, and can frequently be found at his local boxing gym.