How to Make Every Day a Good Day - Even in a Pandemic
"Live in day-tight compartments." - Dale Carnegie
How can we stay centered in an uncertain world? How can we do our best to create a quality work life and home life - even when there are lot's of things out of our control.
By getting crystal clear why we're here (what the Japanese call IKIGAI) and then doing three things we CAN control on a daily basis that are aligned with and help fufull it.
The question is, "What are YOUR Big Three?" What are three things you can do every day that feel deeply right so you feel you're doing your part to make every day a good day?
After a lot of thought, I've come up with my Big Three. If I do these, I feel I'm living in "day-right" compartments. I'm not wasting time by dwelling on the past or getting ahead of myself and worrying about the future. I'm doing what I can to make TODAY a good day, and in the long run, that's all we can do.
Please be thinking of YOUR Big Three that can help you live in day-right compartments.
- CONNECT: Could you promise to call, text or email at least one family member every day to touch base and get caught up? Then reach out to someone new, maybe a contact from LinkedIn, or someone you'd like to meet at the dog park, gym, office? Shakespeare said, "Be wealthy in your friends." Connecting with a current friend and a new friend every day is like giving yourself a little emotional life-raft of what really matters.
- CONTRIBUTE: Pablo Picasso said, "The purpose of life is to find your gifts. The meaning is to give them away." What are you good at? How are you gifting thsy so it adds value to others? That may be writing an uplifting blog, teaching a skill to a new hire, baking something delicious and sharing it with a neighbor, coaching your son's team. Doing one thing that makes a difference is s surr way to make any day a good day.
- CAVORT: Cavort is defined as "to make merry, to behave in a festive, high-spirited way." What delights you and makes you feel happy to be alive? Is it to walk in nature? One thing I know for sure is that every single time I get outside and get moving, I feel better. I followThich Nhat Hanh's suggestion to "kiss the earth with my feet" so I am reveling in my health and freedom of movement. What does that for you? Notice, this is not to "work out" or "exercise." This is something that fills you with joy - something that is an antidote to the stress, pressure, responsibility and hard work of the day.
Your turn. What are three things you can do on a daily basis that feel deeply right? How can you show you know there are no throw-away days - that every day counts?
Confucius said, "We have two lives and the second begins when we realize we only have one."
Your second life begins right now. How will you make the most of it by making your BIG THREE a part of each and every day starting today ... not someday?
– – –
Sam Horn is the CEO of the Tongue Fu! Training Institute. Her 3 TEDx talks and 9 books - including SOMEDAY is Not a Day in The Week, have been featured in NY Times, Harvard Business Review, on NPR, and presented to Capital One, Nationwide, Cisco, Intel, EO.