We’ve all been there.

We’ve all been at our wits’ end. We saved money for a trip and then our truck needed repairs. We spent three hours shovelling snow off the driveway just for it to snow twice as much the next day.  We’ve been training for a marathon for six months and we sprain our ankle the day before we are set to participate. 

Recently, I had one of those days; my utility rates went up, my fiancee informed me the power steering on her car went, and the snow just didn’t seem like it was gonna stop.

The old me would’ve cussed out the utility companies, pontificated about how every Hyundai is a piece of shit, and pouted that mother nature was trying to break my back, but that’s not me anymore. 

This didn’t happen overnight. It took time and work to become the new me. The new me’s immediate response to bad days is to look at all the good things in my life.

I practiced gratitude and carried on with my day. I knew the money was still gonna be there for the utilities, the vehicle would be fixed, and the snow was gonna be taken care of. 

As I was shovelling off my back deck for the eighth time in four days, a song came on in my headphones called “I Love My Old Bird Dog” by Crossin Dixon. It was sent from the universe to reaffirm that I’m on the right track by practicing gratitude. One of 468 songs on my “Trin’s Favourite Songs’” playlist, but it was the exact message I needed to hear.

Well, I guess every now and then you′re gonna land on a bad day
And though I still do, I know I can’t complain
′Cause I love what I do, love where I’m at
Love a strong cup of coffee and my old black hat
My big wool blanket and sleeping in my cowboy boots
I love my old bird dog, I like to watch him run
Love my red guitar, I′ll bang around on some
And I love you

The following day I was texting with my best friend. I was making immature jokes like I was always do with him (particularly how he must have to fellate his customers to be able to go NHL hockey games on a whim), and he was answering with short responses. I knew something was up, and that he was feeling down, so I just asked if he was okay. He ended up going on a rant about how bad his week had been. 

Sometimes I need to respond to him with compassion, but sometimes tough love works. Everything he explained that had negative connotations, I twisted into a positive. 

Changing The Negative Into A Positive

One way that I have found that works for me, is to respond immediately to every negative thing in your life with one word; good.

My fiancée is a queen at this practice. If she catches me feeding my negative wolf, she always knows how to put it into perspective. (Editor’s note- One simply cannot whine that they spilled their coffee when there are children out there bravely battling cancer or being abused.)

When we feed our positive wolf, better things come to be. The energy we give off circulates back to us. 

I’ve been spending a lot of time reading about attracting wealth into my life. Shout out to David Bach! One of the issues that I have been dealing with for a while is financial. Let’s face it, money is a common issue for many of us. 

I work hard and make extra money playing music, but recently I haven’t been getting as many opportunities or overtime. The old me would wallow on not being able to get ahead and say the words “I’m broke”, but I am striking that statement from my vocabulary. 

When I found out my utilities were going to be increased, I didn’t stew on it. I can’t change that, so it is what it is. Instead, I practiced more gratitude. I am so happy that I have a home to raise my family in with running water, electricity and heat. 

I’ve put on a little weight since my son was born, and I feel like it’s difficult to find the time to work out as much as I want to. And yes, I did complain about this until my fiancée noted that I have a physical job and still get to maintain a level of physical activity in the nature of my job. How lucky am I that I get paid to basically work out sometimes?

Whatever you are worried about matters so much less than you think it does. Worrying in and of itself is a useless practice. 91 percent of what you fear doesn’t even come to fruition. 

Your worst day is somebody else’s best day. 

We as a society can’t keep turning the page or changing the channel to the less fortunate. With the holidays coming up, I’ve become very aware of the struggle families are having trying to ensure their children have presents for Christmas. 

I’ve seen the Facebook posts of families asking for help to simply feed their children. I’ve seen the TIK TOK of a recovering addict hoping a video goes viral so he can support his children. This breaks my heart. I really had the audacity to complain about bills? 

“If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of the world”. -unknown

We really do forget the simple joys in life all too often, so I challenge you all to appreciate the beautiful things you got in life! (Yes, I had Benson Boone in my head too. What a banger that tune is).

Spread the word! It’s a beautiful day to love all you have!