"Have a better day".... LOL what??? This is what I heard from the service agent on the phone after my car buckled and decided to slide through and intersection one winter morning (edit: a FEW years ago)...
When the guy came to tow the vehicle, he pointed out that this was not because I slid on ice, but because something in the front wheel well broke as I was going through the intersection and that I am super lucky it happened where it did. If I had been going at any speed (I was at a 4 way stop turning left), it would have been a whole lot worse. And he shivered as he stood there imagining it.
Some of my thoughts were, "NOW what did I do wrong...?", "Great! Now he's going to think I am a reckless driver.", "LOL who is really going to believe me that I went from a dead stop into crashing into the curb just a few metres away?"....but then the funniest thing happened....when that lady said those words, my thought was "Better WHAT??" LOL and to this day, it's the same....
Guess what?? EVERYTHING can get better! Better complaining....better criticism....better negative self-talk....in that moment, I was experiencing a whole MIX of better "everything" 
I started to have more gratitude, and a day off from work....it did work out to being a "better" day 
And when I finally drove my fixed car along that same route weeks later, I was gripped with the shiver that the tow truck guy had...that there was a bridge around the next corner that I was spared from going over. I am glad I didn't beat myself up too bad about the whole thing. The questions came and they passed just as quick, but they were there. That "language" still "creeped" in. And so did my gratitude. 
I started to have more gratitude, and a day off from work....it did work out to being a "better" day And when I finally drove my fixed car along that same route weeks later, I was gripped with the shiver that the tow truck guy had...that there was a bridge around the next corner that I was spared from going over. I am glad I didn't beat myself up too bad about the whole thing. The questions came and they passed just as quick, but they were there. That "language" still "creeped" in. And so did my gratitude. So back to Today, where my son used the term better "generally" and it brought back all these memories...and I turned to him and said, "You might want to be more specific in that prayer for 'better'....better WHAT??" And we could ALL be more specific in what we say we want better of, couldn't we....truly taking the few extra seconds to specify....better health, better attitude, better (greater) income, better headspace, better mindset, better perspective of those that are around me...better "good" in our lives...
There is a word that covers that...that I have been referring to for over 15 years now....Kaizen. It's a Japanese word that refers to any improvement...but in particular, daily, consistent, continuous improvement. And it reminds me to choose for "better good" in my life.
This is why it's important to decide which direction you choose to improve in....we are all, in some way or form, contributing to the "mastery" of something in our lives. Each day as we practice what it is that we are doing, we are getting "better and better", to the point where we don't have to think about it, it's just second nature. Each day, we get to choose what increase to a behaviour, action, or skill we want to get "better" at. Today I choose...to consider better health, better stoicism, better rest, better focus, better movement, better hygiene, ....better than what? Better than the day before. And better than who? Nope...not necessarily a who...just better "for" me each and every day...
Alrighty, time to get better at some math
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