January 2, 2014 – Just another day on the calendar. Nothing unique about this date which is quite a change when you think about all of the focus we gave to yesterday. Today is when the routine of reality begins to collide with the promises we made for the New Year. All of those resolutions, choosing of focus words, creation of goals and great intentions are now put to the test.
Because today is just another day on the calendar and our old habits do not know we made all of these new promises.
Old habits are the result of our mindset. And our mindset works like a thermostat for setting the patterns of our life. That makes today far more important than yesterday. All days may be created equal, but that is not how they are invested. And the first lesson of faithful is that when it comes to “days”, none is more important than today.
So how do we overcome the gap between the promises we made on January 1st and the realities of January 2nd? How do we create an environment that encourages our success? How do we set ourselves up to keep our promises? To actually live our promise?
The key is recognizing the value of the how we are investing our time, our days. When was the last time you logged your activities? I’m not talking about just what you enter into your calendar. This involves everything you do. If it’s been awhile, that may be a good thing for you to consider doing in these first few days of 2014. Why? Because we aren’t going to change what we aren’t aware is happening.
Self awareness is the first step to personal development and achieving all of those goals we have set for ourselves. When I work with clients that want to stop thinking about success and truly start to achieve it, this is where we begin. Getting a defined starting point is the key to creating the right itinerary for our journey.
Doing the exercise is simple enough. Just start when you get up and each time you change your activity, log it. If you use a smart phone – you can use that to log it. If not – just have a small notebook. Make certain that you log EVERY activity and the starting time. You do not have to put an ending time – just a start time. And remember. This is for YOUR EYES ONLY. This isn’t anything you would ever need to show anyone else. It also isn’t about later judgment. Even for yourself. It is just logging what you are doing over the course of a day. If you can manage a few days – that would be even better in terms of the value you can get from this. My suggestion is to start on a Thursday or Friday and continue to Monday or Tuesday depending on when you started. So get five days of logging that include 2 or 3 normal week days and your weekend.
If you are like most of us, there are going to be some surprises in store. Some will bolster confidence, some will become the motivation you need to take some controls back on your time. But the insights overall will be priceless. Think of this as a gift you are giving yourself. And look forward to seeing the results! Because it is all about your success and seeing for yourself what a difference a day makes!
“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” Galileo Galilei
“People are usually more convinced by reasons they discovered themselves than by those found by others.” Blaise Pascal
“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Any time that one of the truly great leaders of our time leaves us it is fitting to pause and celebrate their contribution to the world. It is also important within that reflection to think about and be grateful for the lessons that have generated meaningful change impacting us personally.
Part of any personal development plan is the prioritization of self-care. Taking responsibility for our overall well-being physically is an important first step in being able to function at optimal levels beyond the physical. Why? Because our mental, emotional and even spiritual “self” is either supported or diluted by our physical “self”.
