Today is all that matters.
This very moment is all we have because it’s the only point of time that’s actually real.
Tomorrow doesn’t exist and yesterday is just your limited interpretation of what you think happened. Neither of these are real or tangible. You can’t take action in the future or in the past.
The only place you can take action is right here, right now.
When I notice myself getting feelings of overwhelm about what I want in the future, or feeling down about things I might have done or not done in the past, I practice a mantra to bring myself back today, back to right now and what’s in my control.
“Just today,” I say to myself.
This reminds me to focus on taking action, to focus on what’s in my control and to focus just on today. I can’t predict the future or try to live in it in my imagination, but I can take action right now to move towards what I want. Every small action counts.
The same goes for you. You can win today. Everything you need to win the day is within your control. Anything that’s not in your control is not yours to change, so discard any external blockages from your mind.
Focus only on what you can control and take action on.
To win your day you only have to make a plan and then stick to the plan. That’s it.
When you make your plan, pick 3 things that will move you forward. Write these down somewhere that you’ll see throughout your day. By move you forward, I mean things that will help you progress towards your goals in life, whatever they might be.
Here are a few examples of things that might move you forward:
If you’re running a business, your goal might be to have weekends off. One of your tasks to move your forward to win the day might be to delegate some of your time consuming tasks to someone on your team or an external contractor so you can get some of that time back. Or your goal might be to increase sales, which would make one of your tasks to contact your existing clients to learn more about what they are looking to achieve this quarter and seeing if you can help them.
If your goal is to lose weight, one of your tasks to move you forward might be to stick to your meal plan or your daily step count (and not have any snacks).
If your goal is to save money for a house deposit, one of your tasks to move you forward might be to ask your boss for a raise, or to stick to your spending budget for the day.
Keep putting the items on the list each day and keep taking action on them. Even if it’s a recurring item – keep putting it there and crossing it off every day until it becomes a habit for you, until it’s just part of what you do.
If you find yourself achieving your 3 tasks easily after a few days, then push the stakes a big further. Go for bigger actions.
If you find yourself not achieving your 3 tasks consistently, then it might be you need to break them into smaller chunks. Or it might point to the core problem why you’re not where you want to be – you’re not taking enough action and you don’t trust yourself enough to do the things you say you are going to do.
You can change that right now by writing something down and then just doing it (ideally something that will take less than an hour). Feel any feelings that go with it, without judgement, and just get it done. Cross it off when you’re done. Feel what it’s like to complete what you said you would complete. Then do it again.
You don’t need to become a completely new person to achieve your goals. You don’t need to resolve everything in your past to have a great life. You just need to win today. People just like you have had wonderful, enriching lives and achieved great things. Take action in this moment to move yourself forward.
Overtime, these actions will build momentum and create a compound effect in your confidence and in your life and you’ll see yourself growing and achieving more than you ever thought possible.
It starts with bringing your thoughts and actions back to today. Just today.
