There are times in all of our lives when we'll be somewhere we don't want to be. At work, in line at the grocery store, at a funeral. Often when we find ourselves in these situations we begin to resent our current situation. This resentment puts us in a bad mood.
If you can find a reason to want to be where you are, then you've taken the first step toward having a good day. When you think, "I want to be here because...", you're forced to fill in the blank with something good. Being forced to think of good things makes it hard to be upset. Thinking hard to fill in that blank makes you realize that even in bad situations, there are still some good parts to be appreciated.
At a boring job, you can realize that on some level you do want to be there. If you didn't you'd have quit. Think of why you're there and what you're gaining and appreciate what you're getting from your job. Do this no matter how little you're compensated. In line at the grocery store, remember that you didn't have to grow the food you're buying. You didn't even have to worry about if that food would be in the store when you got there. That's pretty awesome. And at funerals, be happy that you had the chance to get to know the deceased. It's sad to lose a person that made your life better, but being at a funeral means you had the good fortune of having that person in your life.
Sometimes it's exceedingly hard to find a reason to want to be where you are. Everything is going wrong and you're trapped with nowhere to go. In these cases, thinking probably won't do much. You'll need to act. If you come up empty when trying to finish the sentence "I want to be here because...", try changing that sentence to "I'd want to be here a little bit more if..." Fill in the blank with something you can do something about, and do it. The action doesn't have to be huge. As long as you're doing something, you're making your life better. And as long as you're making your life better, you have something to be proud of. (Seriously, this could be as small as polishing your kitchen sink, if you have one, or smiling at a stranger and having them smile back.)
The best part about wanting to be where you are is it benefits others, too. By improving your situation you often improve the situation of others. If not, you're at least putting yourself in a better mood. Everyone loves being around people in good moods. It puts them in a good mood, too. So do yourself and everyone else a favor, and want to be where you are.
Photo by zeitfaenger.at