No matter who you are or where you are in your life, you can extract happiness and meaning from this moment. May one of these easy habits inspire you to have a great day today, because you’re meant to live in the light and the world needs your smile.

“I hope everyone that is reading this is having a really good day. And if you are not, just know that in every new minute that passes you have an opportunity to change that.” – Gillian Anderson

There are so many reasons to smile, to be thankful, to look forward to the future, and to love life just as it is. If we intend to celebrate being alive today, new doors will open up to us and we’ll find more to be grateful for. Plus, when you have a great day, you touch the lives of countless others with a more loving hand.

10 Ways to Have a Great Day More Often

1. Start your day with positive intentions.

Try repeating one of these five morning affirmations before your day starts. Thinking, speaking, feeling, and living our good intentions is a mark of a positive person.

2. Create happiness on purpose.

It’s easier to find joy in activities and situations that we love, but we can learn to transform ordinary things and mundane moments into something meaningful and great. Affirm to bring the joy with you wherever you go. Become a harbor of light and choose to see the light in everything today.

3. Close your eyes and breathe.

Take at least one deep breath, but aim for three or four, or more. Deep breathing brings us back to the present moment and calms us down in stressful situations. When you close your eyes, you rely on your other senses to experience the moment, deepening your connection to “Right Here, Right Now.”

4. Appreciate small things.

There is wonder in every little thing. Practice living in this sense of wonder and amazement. Slow down, stop what you’re doing, and think, “Wow, this life is amazing,” or “Thank you for this life.” There is so much to be thankful for, so much good to see, and enough love to go around and then come back again.

5. Be open with your love.

Love is not limited, but we can shut ourselves off from love. Regardless of our heartaches, love is not affected by pain and it’s still all around us. Let it flow through you. Give love to others. Forgive them. Say “I’m sorry” when you’ve let your own pain pour onto someone else. Be open to receiving love. And always remember to forgive yourself, too.

6. Do something spontaneous.

It’s so liberating to step out of your comfort zone and just go for it, whatever it is. Apply for the job you’ve been afraid of, visit a new place, share your feelings, follow your dreams with faith in what could be, or commit random acts of kindness. However big or small the move, make the move.

7. Change your perspective.

A miracle is just a shift in perception. We all have moments where the smallest, silliest dramas seem to consume us. Remember that you are not your emotions; you are much, much more. Remember how big the universe is, and how small our troubles are in comparison. Trust that life is on your side.

Welcome miracles in your daily life through your willingness to change your perspective.

8. Practice compassion.

Be mindful about being compassionate in daily life. Extend the kindness to those you already love as well as difficult people you meet, and show yourself that love. We all deserve love, and we all want to be loved. If you lose your way and detour into fear, know that you can always choose love and start again.

9. Give up perfection, but keep the passion.

Rather than getting stuck on the hamster wheel of trying to be perfect, try infusing your passion with a bit of detachment. It’s important to care deeply about our dreams, but loosening our grip on the end result gives us freedom to enjoy the ride. Will this matter in one year, five years, ten years?

10. Be here now.

Affirm to be here now. I’ve personally discovered that living in the moment is essential to my happiness. Realize that there is no other time but now to be who you are, do what you love, and create a future that is unlike your past. Savor this moment. NOW is the time to live, love, and smile.

More Ways to Have a Great Day

Here are a few more resources to encourage you to have a great day on purpose:

• Read these 101 short and sweet ways to be happy
• Read this daily to-do list for happiness
• Practice celebrating every day like it’s your birthday
• Read and repeat this affirmation: Today is my day!
• Learn 3 easy ways to change your attitude
• Watch Gabrielle Bernstein’s video about turning a bad day into a good day

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• How do you make every day count?
• In what small ways do you practice happiness, optimism, gratitude, and good cheer?
• If you’re not already, are you willing to try to have a great day?
• When have you experienced a miracle, a little shift in perception, that changed everything?

Please share your positive thoughts, helpful insights, lessons, and any stories with me in the comments.

Share this post with someone who would appreciate a little inspiration.

Do what makes you feel alive, because the world needs more people who have come alive.

With love,

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