Keeping a bad movement from turning into a bad day seems impossible sometimes but it can make all the difference. How many of you have had a bad morning, someone cut you off in traffic, you got a hole in your pants, you got a parking ticket, the store you needed to go to was closed, you have a headache, or maybe two or three things like that happened? All of us have felt this way and normally we tell our friends and family we’re having a bad day. It takes a few bad moments and writes the rest of the day off as awful before it even gets a chance.

I’m going to share with you what happened to me last week and how I fought off the bad day. It was pouring down rain and I had to walk through puddles and arrived to work with wet feet and jeans, strike 1. I had a meeting that I was excited about and just enough time to get coffee. I waited in line at the coffee shop for 15-20, very annoying, strike 2. Moments after I got my coffee I discovered that the lid wasn’t on correctly and burned my hand pretty badly, it not only hurt but it threatened to make me late and I didn’t get my morning coffee, strike 3. Bad day right?! Not so fast. I went to the meeting I was excited about, went to the nurse for some first aid, and then talked to a friend; three counter-strikes. I told myself over and over all day that I wasn’t having a bad day just because a few bad things happened. I refused to give into it, that easy temptation to just give up on the day.

So what happened the rest of the day that I might have missed if I’d written the day off? I had a fun conversation with my Sister-in-Law, a friend shared some wonderful news with me, and I won the lottery ($12)! Now I guess these things could have happened anyway but I think that being open to and ready for them made a difference. Bad days don’t need your help or encouragement.

I’m still working on choosing my first organizations for the Purple State Challenge. #PurpleStateChallenge Stay tuned and please let me know if you have suggestions for organizations to feature.