I’ve seen it done in movies. The lead character puffs up his chest by slapping headlines onto everyday occurrences as they happen throughout the day.

Maybe he yells them out to his sidekick or to posterity if there is no one: "Teeth brighter than the sun in job well done," as he puts his toothbrush down.

"Kids make bus with seconds to spare," as he heads to work. "Salesman of the month parks perfectly."

The headlines add flair to his day. They are proof of his wit and abilities. The hero, leading man, love interest or perfect dad can rest easy secure in the knowledge that it will all add up to a wonderful life.

I forget where I’ve seen this done, but the life-affirming game seemed fun. So, I tried it myself. Besides, as an editor, I could certainly use the practice.

Out into my day I went. Bought a cup of coffee and slapped a headline on it, "Goofball editor buys cup of Joe."

I was right. I needed the practice: "Dollar menu secures financial future," "Day picks up as paper is put to bed," "5 p.m. Parkway sentence commuted by back-roads." It felt a little silly, but it did lighten things up.

I kept the game going as I pulled into my driveway and saw my wife in the door with the dog at her feet. "Leash in hand, wife’s smile is a setup." "Baby ambush leads to game of horsey." "Tired dad condones human cloning."

If you want to give this game a shot, headlines that aren’t so self-effacing would be an even better idea. Memorialize those accomplishments! Take pride in all of the little things you do every day that get overlooked.

If nothing else, this exercise is a chance to get things off your chest. I found it helped me pay attention to how much I actually was accomplishing.

All of my little jokes to myself added up to improve my mood so that I was able to play a decent game of horsey with my son at the end of the day.