One Question That Can Change Your Entire Day…If Not Your Life
Do you believe that the questions we ask ourselves in a given day determine the outcome of our day?
If yes, what type of questions do you ask yourself?
A friend of mine who leads a nomadic life told me that she loves asking herself this question throughout the day:
How Can It Get Any Better Than This?
And whenever she asks this question in a curious way without expectations, almost always serendipity, astonishing coincidences, and even small miracles appear in her life.
Now, how many times have you asked yourself this question?
How Can It Get Any Better Than This?
In comparison, how many times have you asked yourself:
How Can It Get Any Worse?
And what typically happens? It gets worse.
What constitutes a bad day?
So imagine during a “bad day,” specifically asking this question with curiosity:
How Can It Get Any Better Than This?
If you think about what disappoints us most during a bad day is when we strongly desire a specific outcome and it does not happen. By ignoring all the other joyous possibilities out there we prevent ourselves from experiencing a phenomenal day.
Think of the last time you experienced a serendipitous moment? You couldn’t believe how everything came into alignment and it worked out just perfectly. Were you fixated on getting a specific result or were you open to being surprised by the outcome? We embrace uncertainty with a sense of curiosity while traveling, but we have trouble embracing the unknown in our day to day lives, even though that is where happiness lives.
Well, what if I’m experiencing true suffering? Is it really effective to ask:
How Can It Get Any Better Than This?
When clearly it is not going well.
Simply being curious about what is possible does not negate real suffering. It simply asks us to see the possibilities even during challenging times, as those hopeful moments are what carries us through. If you stay curious, it doesn’t limit the suffering, but it does shift your perspective. It allows you to determine how you want to experience the pain as opposed to letting the suffering define you.
Now, you may call this some law of attraction BS, but take a look at the science behind it.
By simply asking questions of yourself that make you more aware of possibilities, you are priming your brain for positivity. Your mind is constantly looking for patterns to understand the world. So, by choosing to see the world through a positive lens, you are increasing the probability of discovering new opportunities that fit that world view.
Don’t believe it? Test it for yourself. Take on this play challenge.
Can It Get Any Better Than This 24-Hour Play Challenge
For an entire day, whenever something good happens during the day, whether big or small, ask yourself:
How Can It Get Any Better Than This?
Simply observe what happens next.
Important Note: Do not look for a specific outcome, but instead ask from a place curiosity, open to an abundance of possibilities. This is a practice of gratitude and being present. It is not the pursuit of more or better.
Keep asking this question throughout the day each time something good happens and see what type of day you have.
Share your findings in the comments below. As an example, I’ve provided below my 24-hour log asking myself this question.
At the end of our lives, we must remember that all of our major life experiences come from asking great questions and choosing how do we want to answer them.
Happy Playing!
Can It Get Any Better Than This 24-Hour Play Challenge — Jeff Harry
Each time something positive occurred, I asked myself the question again.
- Woke up and realized I could sleep in a little longer, so celebrated by going back to bed
- Woke up again and realized today I had the opportunity to do a play performance
- Came up with awesome new ideas for the play performance while in the shower
- My nephew texted me his frustrations about his soccer team and I was able to shift him out of blame mode into what’s possible
- Found a place to practice my play performance behind the stage full out
- Did my play performance and was thanked by receiving a kiss on the cheek
- After the play performance, I bumped into someone I hadn’t seen in over a year that I forgot how much I missed and scheduled a meet up next week
- Came home, assuming I had nothing in the fridge and by looking again, I was able to conjure up a full meal with all the random items in the fridge
- Woke up with enough time to pack before heading to the airport
- Took a shared Lyft, but the other passenger canceled, so I got there earlier and didn’t have to pay as much
- Was placed on standby on the flight, but ended up getting a ticket
- Flight landed early and was able to get lunch with my mom before helping her move out of her home
- Helped my mom move her last items out of the house that she lived in for the past 40 years…and she was really appreciative
- Got to say goodbye to my childhood home, one room at a time, through this moving process
How Can It Get Any Better Than This?
