Some days, it’s easy to smile. You wake up to the sounds of birds chirping, with the warm glow of the morning sun cradling your face. You take several deep, cleansing breaths standing beneath a perfectly cascading shower, just before drawing a smiley face on the steamed-up glass with your index finger.

Your roommate or significant other makes your coffee, just the way you like it. You hit every traffic light. You sing to your favorite tunes. And you arrive at work refreshed, excited, and anxious to create and collaborate.

But not every day starts this way. Sometimes you wake up to chaos, in your head or in the world around you. You hit snags, and bumps, and roadblocks at every turn. You try too hard, or don’t try enough, and things fall apart, or things fall short.

You struggle, you fight yourself and other people, and you find yourself wishing you could stop the world so you could get off for a while.

But there is an alternative. When things go wrong, you can fall down or look up. You can shut down or wake up, all over again, starting from right where you stand. You can accept that the days won’t always look bright, but commit to finding something worth smiling about. Not sure what that might be? No worries, friends! There are a few ideas….

1. Call a friend who knows how to laugh at herself to remember what it’s like not to take yourself too seriously.

2. Read a letter, card, or email from someone who thought of you when you were going through a hard time.

3. Post on your Facebook page, “What made you smile today?”

4. Tell a child in your life that you need a hug. Just try to stay stoic when she throws her little arms around your neck and sings “The Sun Will Come out Tomorrow.”

5. Take a break to enjoy a simple pleasure that you often multitask—like a cup of flavored coffee, or a favorite snack.

6. Rearrange your furniture.

7. For the ladies: paint your toe nails a bright color.

8. Write a hand-written letter to someone you love, using different colored pens.

9. Tell someone how much they mean to you. Say all the things that might make you feel kind of vulnerable, and then think about how special you just made them feel.

10. Make your own list of awesome things.

11. Create a gratitude list for the day, including the smallest details (a fluffy pillow) and the biggest things (your health and your family).

12. Laugh out loud. Seriously, just choose to laugh and keep going.

13. Make a new friend, in person or by commenting on a blog. Like this one. =)