Was it the Worst Day Ever?

“Worst Day Ever?" is a poem attributed to 11th grader Chanie Gorkin of Brooklyn, New York. I shared it a few years ago and thought it was worth repeating today.

The poem captures a worldview that is quite common. What you need to do, however, is to keep reading right to the end. There is a powerful lesson on how perception can change everything — even when the circumstances remain the same.

Worst Day Ever

Today was the absolute worst day ever
And don't try to convince me that
There's something good in every day
Because, when you take a closer look,
This world is a pretty evil place.
Even if
Some goodness does shine through once in a while
Satisfaction and happiness don't last.
And it's not true that
It's all in the mind and heart
Because
True happiness can be attained
Only if one's surroundings are good
It's not true that good exists
I'm sure you can agree that
The reality
Creates
My attitude
It's all beyond my control
And you'll never in a million years hear me say
Today was a good day.

Wait! Before you go, read the lines in reverse order and see what changes.

Worst Day Ever…from a different perspective

Today was a good day.
And you'll never in a million years hear me say
It's all beyond my control
My attitude
Creates
The reality
I'm sure you can agree that
It's not true that good exists
Only if one's surroundings are good
True happiness can be attained
Because
It's all in the mind and heart
And it's not true that
Satisfaction and happiness don't last.
Some goodness does shine through once in a while.
Even if
This world is a pretty evil place.
Because, when you take a closer look,
There's something good in every day
And don't try to convince me that
Today was the absolute worst day ever.

Amazing the difference a new perspective can make!

What looks like the worst day ever can actually look very differently if we choose to see it from a different perspective.

Some times we need to wait a while to see the new perspective but with time, the most difficult storms in our lives can reveal a deeper meaning or changes to us that never would have happened had we not had that worse day ever.

If your expectations for happiness are tied to your circumstances, you’ll live a roller coaster life. If on the other hand, your expectations for happiness are sourced from within and you do the hard work of uncovering a different view, your life will be enriched in surprising ways.

Our Challenge

• to look for opportunity in adversity (you may not see it right away, but keep open to the possibility of seeing it eventually)

• to find things to be grateful for even on the worst days (we can always find something to be grateful for even on the darkest days)

• to avoid being controlled by the things that happen to us and realize we have the power to choose our response in every situation