Good Days – Bad Days

Our thoughts create our feelings; so, if we are not feeling good, then the best thing we can do is try to change the way we are thinking.

Weather or climate of the world is not static. It is filled with lot of surprises, hot and cold, dry or rainy. In the recent years in the US, we witnessed record breaking flooding in one part and forest inferno in other parts. There was record breaking summer hit in cold countries of Europe and NorthAmerica along with sharp rise melting of ice in Antarctica, surprising as well as confirming the climate changes across the world. One has to adjust and bear with all these changes. Whether we like these or not, these are facts as well as a part of our life and we have to live with these.At the best, what we can do is that we can take precaution and protection against such extremities.

Though a day is always of twenty-four hours, except at poles yet all days are not the same. Changes do take place often; else life would be dull and boring. Sometimes, an old person, remembering suddenly some happy moments of his childhood days, showing a flash in his eyes and happy curves on his face, says: “Those were the days.”

The days can, thus, be of many kinds if we consider them from different points of view. There are some days, which we consider as ‘bad days’ whereas there are some others, which we consider as ‘good days.We have all heard some people saying: “I have fallen on bad days”. Actually, the days are neither bad nor good because a day is just a name given to a period of twenty-four hours; it is just a unit of time but still we have a meaning when we say: ‘I am on bad days’ or ‘That fellow is on good days.’

Sometimes, bad days just happen and if a person is having a bad day, people just make him feel worse and worse. There may be people criticizing him bitterly without his fault and accusing him absolutely without any basis, or whatever role he plays and the job he does, turns into a complete failure. He does his best yet success eludes or evades him. He loves some people and has good wishes for them and yet these people get estranged from him or turn into his enemies or rivals. He hasn’t done any bad act and yet his mind is empty of peace and he feels that happiness is totally missing from his heart. Those very people, whom he had helped in their dire need, have now turned their back on him and show not even a little concern for his wellbeing. People point to his shortcomings and hit hard at his weakness and try to open or scratch his wounds.

And, when one is having a good day, people come out to help him, appreciate his works and qualities and like or love him. He feels that there is happiness in relationships; he has stamina and good health and he is comfortable. He feels that people do not misbehave with him and that he, generally, meets success whatever be the venture he embarks upon.

Thus, there is change of one’s days. History is full of examples of even kings becoming beggars or of ordinary men ascending on thrones. But what we need to remember is that the shift in our fortunes or the change in our days is brought about by the change that took place in the quality of our own actions. The change in days, some say, is due to change in our stars, but even stars in the sky also change due to action of souls, which also are the stars now on earth. The stars in the sky and stars on the earth have a link. The whole nature is influenced by our own actions; and, so, we are the makers or builders of our own fortune.We determine our own destiny.

So, basically, bad days are those days when a person has bad thoughts or does bad actions; and good days are, basically, those days when a person thinks good and does good. So, we need to check in, with our self-talk. Are we being kind to ourselves? Are we talking to the self in a way in which someone who loves you would? Or is the inner critic running amok right now? Our thoughts create our feelings; so, if we are not feeling good, then the best thing we can do is try to change the way we are thinking. Show the self some compassion. We need to give ourselves the love that we would want to receive from others. If our mind is saying things to us that we would not say to our best friend, things like ‘you are useless, no one loves you’, etc., then we really are not being kind to ourselves and we are not going to start feeling better until we turn that around. We need to forget, stop blaming the self and others, forgive ourselves and others and tell that inner critic to stop being critical and become more like an awesome friend.

If we have a bad day, it can make us feel as if our whole life is the worst. And it’s not. Acknowledge that it’s just one day and tomorrow will be different. We should also keep in mind, during the days of stress and strain or tests and tribulations that these odd days also will change because nothing, in this world, stays forever. Night is succeeded by day; and, so also, good days will follow bad days sooner or later and we should, therefore, have patience.

Since our bad days are consequence of our actions, we cannot, therefore, run away from them but have only to bear with them happily or with a heavy heart, as we choose. We cannot escape them; we can only take measures to keep ourselves safe from them or to protect ourselves from them as one usually does when an enemy pounces on him. There is no use cursing our stars or wailing over our misfortune, or barking at our bad luck, or accusing people for having left us or caused misery to us. On the other hand, we should take lessons from these hard tests and consider these as exercises for self-development or causes for crisis management. Everything that life throws at us is there to teach us something. When life hits us hard, we are forced to grow and learn. In every seemingly awful thing, every heart break, every disaster, there is a lesson to be learned, some way in which we are meant to expand our awareness and understanding of ourselves and our values. If we can try to look for the lessons and allow our challenges to help us develop as a person and improve our situation, maybe we can pass the test with flying colours or with honours.

There is also a lesson for all others, who are not on bad days. It is that they can at least have empathy for those, who are passing through tough times. Even if they cannot help in any other way, they should not point to the defects of and talk impolitely to such people, who are under tests. Let us not forget that one day we also have to face, more or less, such tests or situations in life.

Also, when anyone is on good days, he should not boast of his fortune. One never knows when one will be hauled up on live coals. One cannot always foresee bad days coming. Let us, therefore, not be proud to the point of boasting, bragging or praising the self. One can have jubilation and joy and feel satisfaction that one has done well; let one be confident of one’s abilities but all this should not lead to thinking so highly of oneself that one harps on this tune again and again, sings songs of one’s success at all assemblies and on all occasions so much so that others feel that one is trying to show them as second-rate people or less wise, less courageous or less in qualities, and thereby hurt their sense of self-respect.

So, whether days are good or bad, we should always be good in our actions, our state of mind, our dealings and relations with others, our attitudes and our response to various tests or situations in life. We can turn even bad days into good ones if we take to this course.

Remember that our perception of good and bad days is subjective and can vary from person to person. It’s important to focus on personal growth and maintaining a positive outlook, regardless of external circumstances.