Living the Dream: Why Every Day Is a Beautiful Day
“Livin’ the dream.”
I hear it all the time. From the delivery guy, the garbage man, the grocery store cashier. It’s usually said with a wry smile, dripping in sarcasm. The implication? Life hasn’t quite turned out how they wanted. It’s the sigh of someone trudging through the day, head down, heart heavy.
But what if that phrase wasn’t just a sarcastic quip?
What if you actually were living the dream?
I always think, I am living the dream. I love my work. I love taking care of customers. I love rearranging shelves, solving problems, and seeing my businesses grow. To me, it’s like a never-ending home improvement project—constant progress, constant purpose.
My Answer Is Always the Same: Great.
When people ask how I’m doing, I always respond, “Great!” Not “Okay.” Not “Hanging in there.” Not even “Good.”
Great.
Why? Because I’m not describing my aches and pains. Yes, after my car accident and sports injuries, I could recount pains. I’m not recounting the walk-in cooler that went down this morning or the door falling off the convection oven. I’m not sharing the stress of a no-call, no-show from an employee.
I’m describing my energy.
It’s easy to get pulled into the details of the day, to focus on what’s broken, what hurts, what’s unfinished. But I choose to focus on the energy I’m living in—the energy I’m creating.
“Always Great? Really?”
A customer once asked, “Always great? Is there an average? A greater? Are you greater?”
Another customer always repeats my answer, almost befuddled. “Great? How can you be great early in the morning? Or late at night after a long day?”
The answer is simple: Great is a choice. It’s a state of being, not a scoreboard of external circumstances.
I don’t want to list every ache or recount every frustration. I don’t even feel the need to rehash every positive moment. I’m just here, living the dream.
“It’s a Beautiful Day.”
One of my favorite phrases? “It’s a beautiful day.” I say it all the time. Rain or shine. Early morning or closing time.
What do people do when they hear it?
They compress. They evaluate. They picture something. They think.
“No, it’s not a beautiful day. It’s overcast.”
“Beautiful? It’s raining.”
Or worse, they think I’m being sarcastic.
Other times, they picture the sun and blue sky. After that evaluation, they agree.
But here’s the thing: It is a beautiful day.
Not because of the weather. Not because everything is perfect. But because I feel it.
People often live in their heads, judging and evaluating, instead of simply experiencing the positive energy in their bodies. They get stuck in mental filters, missing the present moment.
But when you stay in positive energy, when you choose not to compress, the day really is beautiful.
Living the Dream Is an Inside Job
Most people think “living the dream” means having the perfect house, the perfect job, the perfect life.
It’s not.
Living the dream means appreciating what you have while striving for what excites you. It’s about showing up each day, saying yes to the opportunities in front of you, and staying connected to the joy inside.
It’s a beautiful day. I feel great. And I truly am living the dream.
Not because life is perfect.
But because I choose to experience it that way.
