If you’re going to live today you might as well make today AWESOME right?!

So here are 7 ways to MAKE today AWESOME!

1. Decide that today is going to be AWESOME!

It all starts with a DECISION.

The etymology behind certain words can be so revealing sometimes – the word “decision” among them.

The Latin of the word decision literally means, “to cut off.” Making a decision is about “cutting off” choices – cutting you off from some other course of action. Now that may sound a little severe and limiting, but it’s not. It’s liberating.

You see, having many choices is great; but at some point, if we’re going to get to where we want to go, and if we’re going to attain what we want to attain, then we need to make some decisions.

2. Focus on all the AWESOME things around you!

“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.”
– Qui-Gon to Anakin, Star Wars Episode I

The quote above, as cheesy as George Lucas’ writing often is, contains a nugget of Jedi wisdom that I’ve repeatedly found to be true.

Your focus determines your reality.

It’s something we don’t think about much of the time, but give it some consideration now

If you wake up in the morning and think about the miserable things you need to do later in the day, you’ll have a miserable day. If you wake up and focus instead on what a wonderful gift your life is, you’ll have a great day.

If we let our attention jump from one thing to another, we will have a busy, fractured and probably unproductive day. If we focus entirely on one job, we may lose ourselves in that job, and it will not only be the most productive thing we do all day, but it’ll be very enjoyable.

If we focus on being tired and wanting to veg out in front of the TV, we will get a lot of television watching done. If, however, we focus on being healthy and fit, we will become healthy and fit through exercise and good eating.

This may seem simplistic, but it’s completely true. This is the magical power of focus.

3. Ask yourself “How can I make today MORE AWESOME?”

Reframing self-limiting situations as questions has long been celebrated as an excellent way to instantly change the way we feel and how we are viewing the world around us.

Suppose you’re feeling down but, even so, you dare to ask yourself “How can I make today more awesome?”At first, you might think of all the reasons that today isn’t awesome, or why you can’t make it more awesome. However, if you put honest effort in answering it, you will indeed find real ways you can make today more awesome. It is by no means denial: it’s just shifting your focus to a solution and strengths orientation.

Also, disempowering statements such as “This sucks!” increase your stress and prevent you from searching for solutions. Turn it into “How can I make this better?” or ” What’s good about this?” puts you back in the driver’s seat and direct your focus on solutions.

4. Tell others around you how AWESOME they are!

What goes around comes around – and with kindness and encouragement it really does. Research shows that being kind to others increases our own levels of happiness as well as theirs. What’s more it has a knock-on effect – kindness is contagious, so it makes our communities nicer places to be.

Focusing on the good things that happen to people around you each day helps to increase your happiness. Psychologist John Gottman has carried out extensive research in to what makes relationships work or fail.

5. Be thankful for the AWESOME stuff in your world!

Science tells us that an “attitude of gratitude” is a good health choice. Being more grateful more often makes us happier and more optimistic. But gratitude also adds to the bottom line – in very real ways. And the best news about gratitude is that it requires little time and no money.

• Gratitude is an attitude.
• Gratitude is a choice.
• Gratitude is a daily habit.

When we consciously practice being grateful for the people, situations and resources around us we begin to attract better relationships and results. The habit will be strengthened as you make the choice each day.

6. Remind yourself how AWESOME you are!

Strengths are personal characteristics that allow us to perform well or at our personal best. But, it’s not enough just to know what our strengths are, we have to put them into practice. When we use our strengths we are usually energised and feel at our best. We find ourselves drawn to using them in different areas of our lives for example at work, at home and our during our everyday lives. They are areas where we learn fast and often (but not always) others will recognise them in us too.

Psychologists found that people who tried using their strengths in new ways each day for a week were happier and less depressed six months later.  Another study in the UK recently showed that people who felt they were using their strengths have more positive emotion, greater vitality and self-esteem, compared with people who did not feel they used theirs.

Using your strengths doesn’t mean ignoring our weaker areas, but it’s a question of emphasis. Positive psychology argues that if we focus on developing and using more of our strengths it will help us to get the best from ourselves and feel happier. Of course we need to manage our weaker areas, especially those that are holding us back, but often we don’t need to be brilliant at these, good enough is usually good enough.

7. Be AWESOME!

How can you bring calm and peace to the middle of a stress-ful, chaotic day?

The answer is simple, though not always so easy to put into practice:

Learn to BE!

No matter how out-of-control your day is, no matter how stressful your job or life becomes, the act of being present can become an oasis. It can change your life, and it’s incredibly simple.

If you are completely present, the external forces are no longer a problem, because there is only you and that external force, in this moment, and not a million other things you need to worry about.

So… Go and MAKE TODAY AWESOME!

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