The way that you feel on any given day when you wake up usually determines how your day will go. If you wake up feeling grumpy, there's a chance you run the risk of having a terrible day. If you wake up thinking the sun shining is the most beautiful thing in the world, you tend to have an amazing day. You may think that you have no choice on the kind of day that you have, but the attitude that you wake up to is something that you can control.

You can choose to wake up feeling grumpy and tired, thus leading to having a bad day with a bad attitude, or you can choose to wake up with your head in the clouds, thinking everything around you is a blessing and have a great attitude. You can't change the events of the day that happen to you, but you can choose how you will perceive and receive them.

Let's say for example, you wake up and choose to have a bad attitude. You go to class, grumpy and irritated with everything everyone does. People talking is annoying. They're all stupid. You get your test back and you've made a "C." You think it's the end of the world and your bad mood gets even worse. On the flip side, if you wake up and choose a good attitude, you go to class with a little pep in your step. You make a new friend or have a conversation with someone you normally wouldn't talk to. You get your test back and you've made a "C." You think you did well, but now realize you could've studied more and make a promise to study more for the next one. You don't let it ruin your whole day.

I first learned this lesson in high school while I was serving as a leader in my band. Our band's student leadership team got the privilege to go to a workshop at the beginning of the school year so that we could take things back to our band to make it the best we could. One of those workshops, we learned about choosing your attitude. It has been a lesson that has resonated with me ever since I heard it and it's something that I found to be true.

Although sometimes I forget this, I remind myself that I get to choose how I feel and that I get to choose how my day will go. It may not go exactly how I want it to, but I get to choose how I handle each situation.

Life can get hard and it can bring you down. You can't stop bad things from happening, but you also can't control the good all the time either. You learn to take things with a grain of salt and move on with life.

If you choose your attitude, your day is affected — for better or for worse. If you choose your attitude, you can affect someone else's day, too. Why would you want to choose to have a bad day?