If someone were to ask you about the best day of your life, what would you say? For most people, the answer might include a wedding, graduation, child birth, or similar event. These events are certainly big, but what about other days in your life not nearly as significant, yet equally meaningful and important? People, places, and things that helped you reflect on life, appreciate things in a different light, or gain confidence from that allowed you to take a chance on something special? A moment where someone paid you an unexpected compliment, or believed in you so much that it resulted in you pursuing a goal you never thought possible. A big belly laugh, and the opportunity to act like a kid again, even if for just a few moments. Or maybe it was a simple conversation with a loved one where you shared a smile, memory, and connection — maybe the last time ever — are these the best days of our lives? And do we always truly know when they are happening right in front of us?
Today might be the best day of your life (you just don’t know it)
If you have spent time in my company, you may have heard me say that today might be the best day of your life, but you just don’t know it. In fact, I often say this around kids playing youth sports as I watch them having fun, sharing laughs, and making memories for a lifetime. Of course, kids don’t know how today is any more important than any other day as they haven’t lived a long enough life to allow for perspective, but we as adults know what it can mean contributing to a team, and being accepted by teammates. In fact, for many adults, it is only years later that we look back on moments that, at the time, we took for granted.
The best days of our lives are the moments that are tough — if not impossible — to relive. It’s the first soccer goal, the base hit that won the game, and the moment someone inspired you to push harder, do more, or contribute to something truly special. It’s someone showing a special interest in you, it’s being recognized for a big accomplishment, and it’s the feeling of connection we experience when we reach out to help someone. These moments make our lives what they are, and contribute directly to our level of happiness and life satisfaction. Sadly, too often we take these moments for granted until someone or some thing reminds us, and then we put it all together how special that trip to Dairy Queen was after winning the league championship that year.
Maybe it’s that warm summer day, or brief rain that came out of nowhere, where you just sat with your kid, or a friend, or maybe someone you simply met by chance, that led to a remarkable discussion that literally redirected the trajectory of your life. A career you just learned about, or a networking opportunity that resulted in the job you always wanted. Maybe that brief chat over a cup of coffee with a friend turned out to be the most influential 10 minutes of your life, even if you didn’t know know it then.
Sometimes in life we find ourselves sad, upset, or dealing with great adversity, and we need someone or something to turn to for support. It is in these moments that we can benefit through the product of time and history the importance of our most fond moments and days of life, and those memories can be used again in a variety of healing ways. Every self-discovery, new idea, and different way of looking at things likely began with a conversation, or a moment someone special empowered you to keep going. These are the times that help define our happiness, health, and life satisfaction.
Final thoughts
There are countless moments in life that truly shape who we are, how we think, and what we do. Sadly, many of these moments are not recognized at the time, and usually are not appreciated until years later when we have proper perspective to understand the value. The next time you feel something special happening, sit back and enjoy the moment, and take in everything special that you are experiencing. You don’t need to make sense of what is happening, but instead simply appreciate that you could be having one of the best days that you will ever have in your life.
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