Make Every Day a Beautiful Day

By Deb Boelkes

If you’ve read my book The WOW Factor Workplace: How to Create a Best Place to Work Culture, you know I am a big fan of the late great UCLA basketball coaching legend, John Wooden. I particularly relate to this quote of his, which pretty much sums up my own philosophy of life:

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.    

Regardless of how others choose to live, you have the magical ability to make every day a beautiful day—regardless of what else is going on in the world. I am not saying you should blithely be a Pollyana, but there is nothing wrong with seeing the bright side in every situation.  It’s all in your attitude. 

With all that has transpired over the past eighteen months, it is easy to see why some people believe the world is falling apart. Some cities have been virtually destroyed by protests and riots. Businesses have been forced to close. People have lost jobs and loved ones.

Yes, life is challenging. Always has been, always will be. But overcoming challenges is how we learn, grow, and become better leaders. The best leaders—heartfelt leaders—do the best they can to make every day a beautiful day.  It is all in our attitude.

I have a sign in my kitchen that says, “Attitude is everything. Make it a good one.” I used to have a bigger version hanging on my office wall at work. No one entered without smiling at it. It worked wonders to put everyone who came to visit me in a better frame of mind.

As I said in my book, Heartfelt Leadership: 

I am a firm believer we must look inside to challenge ourselves in new directions every day. We must lead and behave in a way that we continuously inspire others to be all they can be, too…. Heartfelt Leadership begins with you.

Complaining about the status quo and criticizing others is not inspirational, nor is it the mark of a great leader. Instead, heartfelt leaders reveal the beauty inside themselves, and they find beauty in others.  The leaders people choose to follow are those who give hope and relentlessly share a WOW vision. Be that leader. It’s really not difficult. It is all in your attitude, so pick a good one.

One of my favorite songs—from one of my all-time favorite movies, the musical Bye Bye Birdie—is the American classic, Put on a Happy Face. It was introduced by one of my favorite actors, Dick Van Dyke, who over the past 60 years has never failed to make me smile. The first few stanzas are these:

Gray skies are gonna clear up,
Put on a happy face;
Brush off the clouds and cheer up,
Put on a happy face.
Take off that gloomy mask of tragedy,
It's not your style
You'll look so good that you'll be glad
You decided to smile!

Pick out a pleasant outlook,
Stick out that noble chin;
Wipe off that “full of doubt” look,
Slap on a happy grin!
And spread sunshine all over the place,
Just put on a happy face!

It’s all in your attitude. Be sure to pick a good one.

The late radio and television personality, Art Linkletter, said this in his book, Yes, You Can!  

Learning to laugh at yourself, and at unpleasant situations that confront you, is one of the best techniques for turning a negative incident into something more positive. Also, the more you can stand back and smile at what’s happening to you, the cooler your head will be, and the more resilient and effective you’ll become in dealing with tough challenges. 

While I believe it is important to stay on top of current events, rather than allow the barrage of endless bad news make me angry or bring me down, I choose to begin and end each day by appreciating the view of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway from my back veranda. I especially love summer evenings, when the sky turns brilliant shades of pink and lavender, just before the sun goes down behind the feathery clouds on the other side of the sound. The fleeting pastel majesty reminds me to be grateful for that one last glimpse of the twilight sky, perfectly painted by the artistic hand of God.      

Earlier this week, my youngest son and his wife came to visit from California, along with their adorable baby, Vienna. The last morning of their visit, I got up extra early to enjoy some precious, final one-on-one moments with the little one, who I knew I would dearly miss before the morning was over. But rather than sadly await their departure, I awakened the baby, got her dressed, and took her out on the west veranda to enjoy the bright blue sky and relatively cool morning air.

As we stepped onto the screened in porch, we could hear a gentle patter of rain on the roof.  “How strange” I thought to myself, given all we could see of the sky was cloudless and clear blue.

At that very instant, a great big perfect rainbow appeared brightly before us. As I pointed it out to the baby, Vienna smiled that happy grin of hers, spreading even more sunshine all over the place. While it would soon be time to say goodbye to my cherished family, how could I not put on my own happy face, too, and lock such a beautiful moment into my memory forever.

May you, too, make every day a beautiful day, regardless of whatever else is going on. Just put on a happy face.  You will be amazed at how much brighter the world around you will magically become.