Category Archives: Encouragement

What memories am I going to create today?

So far in this series on creating intensity in your day we’ve discussed brightening people’s days and being grateful.

Today we look at memories! Specifically, GREAT memories.

We all have memories. Good and bad.

But, do we intentionally set out in the morning to create great memories?

I’m guessing most of you are like me. You set out each morning looking at what you need to do during the day. What tasks need to be completed. What you’ll have for lunch. What meeting or sporting event you’ll be attending in the evening.

You don’t think about making memories.

What if you did? What if you set out each morning with the intent to make great memories?

I’m asking myself the same thing. How would the day go? How would I be intentional about memories?

Sure it’s a bit easier when we’re on a vacation.

We plan some of those vacation memories. At least we plan for the opportunity to create memories. Trips to the lake, to Washington, D.C., to Florida, to the mountains, etc. Our expectations for memories are on high alert during those times.

But what about during your normal daily routine?

What could possibly be memorable about a typical day in the life?

Well, here’s a picture of one of mine. I love this picture. It wasn’t staged. It wasn’t intentional. But it does accurately depict my wife and sons.

This is a great memory.

It still isn’t something planned. It is a memory I was on alert for that evening. And I believe that is something we can all plan. We can plan to be alert to memories as they happen. We can “help” things along when we are looking for a way to create a memory.

I love going to baseball games. (I don’t do it often enough. I need to plan better.)

Does planning for the baseball game constitute planning to create a memory? Not necessarily, but it can certainly create a situation and opportunity!

Funny things happen at sporting events.

I specifically remember going to a Detroit Tigers game a few years ago with my dad and my sons. It rained most of the 2+ hours we drove to the game. During the game we roasted and toasted. We sat in the blazing hot sun for hours. I have absolutely no idea which team won the game. I do remember it began storming immediately after we got back in the car to drive home.

Great memory? Maybe. Certainly something I’ve remembered and my boys remember.

What great memories do you have? Do you have even a tiny bit of intention to create a memory as you go about your regular day? Let me know!

This post is one in a series of posts centered around the “7 Questions Guaranteed to Create Intensity in Your Day” found in the book 20,000 Days and Counting by Robert D. Smith. (Find the 1st post HERE.)

What three things am I most grateful for today?

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What three things am I most grateful for today?

Three things?

Some of you are concerned you can’t come up with three.

Others of you are thinking, “Only three?”

My attitude towards this question revolves around how intentional I can be every day.

As we continue looking at “7 Questions Guaranteed to Create Intensity in Your Day”, this one generally falls in the very easy or very hard category. Nothing in between.

I believe how we begin our day, and maybe even how we ended the previous day, puts us on the path to “very easy” or “very hard” for this question. By intentionally taking time to even think about this question at the start of the day, I believe we can find multiple reasons to be grateful.

But, don’t miss one key word in the question: MOST

What three things are you most grateful for today?

This will certainly vary from person to person.

I also suspect it will vary from day-to-day.

As I think about what I am most grateful for, I keep coming back to the simple fact of being alive. I’m here on earth for another day. For that I am grateful. (But what am I going to do with it?) Each day I have is special. Each day is unique. It really is.

You may think each day is the same, only altered by the weekend, but take a moment. Think about each of the last few days. Make a quick list of what was different in each.

Here’s a quick list I made: Sunshine/rain, incredible cup of coffee, a full tank of gas, a job, family, etc.

Those are pretty easy, and simple.

Let’s get back to the word “most” we mentioned earlier.

For me, “most grateful” looks like the great hug I received from my oldest son. It also looks like the blessing of a great group of friends I interact with on a daily basis (internet friends most certainly count here).

Most of all, I’m grateful every single day for Jesus.

I know, I know! It sounds like the Sunday School answer! You know what I mean. The correct answer to EVERY question in Sunday School is JESUS!

But I’m serious.

Every single day I’m most grateful for what Jesus did for me. If I can begin each day remembering to be grateful for his saving grace, I can’t help but have a grateful filled day.

How about you? What three things are you most grateful for today?

Whose life am I going to brighten today?

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Whose life am I going to brighten today?

Well. What do you think? Can you ask this of yourself every day? Can you think of people who may need to see a brighter day?

I guess starting the day thinking about the people we’ll encounter throughout the day is a good place to start.

What does your schedule look like today?

Who will you encounter?

If today is a “normal” work day for you, the people should be easy to identify. For me, the receptionist, the sales staff, the service department, etc. These are the people I see every day. I usually don’t give it much thought. I say hi to them each morning. I interact with them daily. But, do I bring anything to the table to brighten their day? Do I make an effort to share some light with them?

Or, do I simply grumble and mumble my daily greeting and continue on with the day?

What does it look like to “brighten” the day of those around you?

Some of us probably need to raise our heads a bit more. Move away from the computer screen. Use the swivel feature in your neck.

Try it a minute. Move your head from side-to-side. Try up and down too.

If you’re like me, the side-to-side and up movements are the ones needing the most practice.

How about those eyes? Amazingly, they move too.

Combining the neck features and the eye features to look at the people around you are probably the simplest things we can do to brighten the lives of those around us.

Now for the really hard part.

Opening your mouth and speaking appropriate words!

Yes, I said “appropriate” words.

Instead of the usual “grumble and mumble” of your day, what change would take place with the use of encouraging and brightening words?

I know this seems like hard work.

All the effort may impact your own day.

In fact, I hope it does impact your day. I hope it impacts your day in a positive way!

Here’s your task: Intentionally attempt to brighten the day of a few people around you.

Let us know how it goes. I’ll certainly let you know how it goes on my end.

This post is one in a series of posts centered around the “7 Questions Guaranteed to Create Intensity in Your Day” found in the book 20,000 Days and Counting by Robert D. Smith.