4 Reasons Why Today is Going to be Awesome
Do you agree that your today can be awesome? Here’s my four reasons:
1. THIS IS THE ONLY DAY THAT EXISTS
Everything in your life so far actually happened in the present, in the here and now. Likewise everything that will happen in the future will also end up happening in the present.
Most of us are guilty of living in a dream-like state, recalling the past and/or planning ahead. But everything anyone experiences is in the now.
This means that right this second, something awesome is happening to someone in the world! Why not you?
Yes, I know you’re here reading this article and wishing you were outside in the sun (or whatever it is you do with your spare time), but when you really think about it, at any point you could create a memory that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Our memories are created in the here and now, so what do you choose to create?
2. YOU HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER YOUR ACTIONS AND RESPONSES.
We don’t have control over circumstances, but we do have control over our responses and the choices we then choose to make.
I find it absolutely fascinating that there are parts of our brain that are stimulated when we think of ourselves, and then there are other areas that are stimulated when we think of others. Nothing weird there, but where it gets interesting is when we think of our future self. For example, when we plan to do something tomorrow, the area of the brain that gets used is that for other people.
And why is that?
By promising yourself that you will quit that bad habit tomorrow you are in effect placing that trust in a different version of you. The person that wakes up tomorrow morning isn’t going to be the same person that made that promise today. So is that why it’s so easy to “not” keep that promise?
Don’t wait for tomorrow, “you” may never get started. Do it today.
3. YOU ARE ONE DAY CLOSER TO LIVING YOUR DREAM.
Whatever it is that you want to see in your future, today is an opportunity for you to take one step closer to making it happen. Of course, you must put in the effort and use today (not tomorrow!) as your “blank canvas” to make this dream a reality, but that day can come.
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. Danny Kaye
Get busy living your life and before you know it, that day will arrive and it will be your “present.” That’s why #4 below is important. It’s the “how do I do that?” answer.
4. A LIFETIME CAN BE SHRUNK DOWN TO TINY CHUNKS.
Do you have a dream that seems utterly ridiculous to you right now? Maybe you have aspirations to be a musician. That leap may seem impossible and when you look at it as one big move, it probably is.
The beauty of this is that any dream or goal can be broken down into smaller manageable chunks that we can plan out and conquer before moving on to the next one.
You can go out there and buy a musical instrument 
and start learning. You can place an ad in the paper for other musicians to jam with. You can do anything if you do it one step at a time.
Today is just one small chunk of the rest of your life and with it you can make a big difference. Choose! Act!
Do you get that today IS awesome?
I hope that you get that YOU are in charge!
There’s an interesting book, 20,000 Days and Counting by Robert D. Smith that I just read. The author points out that most people sleepwalk through their day-to-day existence, passively letting time slip away.
And, unfortunately, impending death is usually the only thing that can wake people up to the intensity of life. For him it was the sudden and accidental death of his fourteen year old friend while playing basketball. He was shocked to the core and it was his first realization that he was always, very literally, only one step away from dying. Anyday. Anywhere.
So he advocates numbering your days, daily. Stop counting down. Instead, count them up! See the easy-to-use calculator at http://www.therobertd.com/the-book/
That’s what he did: he hit 20,000 days and took 48 hours away to appreciate the gift of those days and to plan out the next 20,000 days. You can too!
You can marvel at how many days you’ve been allowed to spend on this planet. And never forget that each one could be your last. So ponder the kind of life you’d like to look back on when you come to the end of your life.
After all, it’s essential for us to understand that we have been dying since the day we were born. And maybe that thought reminds us that we have also had the opportunity to be growing and learning and sharing since the day we were born as well!
So, how many days have you been blessed with? What do you want for the days that are left to you? How will you make them memorable? meaningful? Have you something you want to do with them?
2 Comments
24,001 Wow. I have not really thought of life in quite this way before. You always seem to have some unusual ‘take’ on things – and it generally hits rather close to home for me. Thanks for that!
I do rather have a tendency to cruise through many days without a lot of specific thought involved. At least, this is true since beginning the retirement process. While the non-structured time is what I craved, I can see the need and benefit of maybe choosing a slightly different approach – at least part of the time anyway.
While I will likely never again be a TO DO LIST and check it off sort of person, I’ll use my POSSIBILITIES LIST to better advantage. And for starters, today that means more music and more cooking time. Yes!
Fay,
As always, your comments are thought-provoking! And your POSSIBILITIES LIST sounds like fun…
Retirement, or any major change in lifestyle, gives us a great opportunity to “play” with our time!