You didn’t get credit for something you worked hard on. Some disappointing news came your way. Someone snapped at you for no reason. Whatever the obstacle might be, some days just feel inherently harder to get through than others. It’s good to give ourselves space to process these challenges, but we shouldn’t allow them to swallow up our whole day — or worse, our outlook going forward.
Research shows that at work, our inner life is tied directly to our progress, and vice versa. This means if we can change our attitude, we’re more likely to be able to make tangible changes or progress in our circumstances.
Bumps in the road are a normal part of day-to-day life, so the coping mechanisms we use to deal with them should be just as present, whether it’s a solo pep talk, a walk around the block, or something else that helps us recenter. When we can take a bad day in stride, we gain more insight into what really matters to us and how we can move forward.
If you’re having a bad day, these quotes from travelers, scientists, and writers might just give you the spark you need to turn things around.
Trust that your best tomorrow will be even better than today’s: that is healing. Keep moving.Maggie Smith
You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.Maya Angelou
Today is where your book begins / The rest is still unwritten.Natasha Bedingfield
Be curious. However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.Stephen Hawking
There is always a way and always hope in the next sunrise, and in the next second, and in the next minute.Ziggy Marley
The future is not fixed, it's fluid … The world is more malleable than you think and it's waiting for you to hammer it into shape.Bono
No single, individual moment is in and of itself unendurable.David Foster Wallace
I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.Louisa May Alcott
I'll soon be turning, round the corner now / Outside the dawn is breaking / … / The show must go on.Brian May
It can’t last forever. Others have thought such things, in bad times before this, and they were always right, they did get out one way or another, and it didn’t last forever.Margaret Atwood
Featured image credit: baona/ iStock
