Life is one day at a time - it is your choice!!

What can you do today, one day at a time, that will move you one step closer to your goals.

A daily plan consists of day-to-day activities that you choose to achieve. Like other types of plans, such as an event plan and a work plan, a goal is set for you to accomplish. A daily plan typically consists of activities or instructions for you to carry out. In order to be realistic about achieving the daily goals, establish priorities at three levels of importance. The first Level one is Important and Urgent, Level two Important and not urgent, and Level three is neither Important nor Urgent.

Consciously choose to invest a small amount of time into what you love every day, one day at a time, and the cumulative effect of those days will naturally lead you where you want to be.

Taking one day at a time means not asking too much of yourself, or neglecting your own needs. It means recognising the difference between what-ifs and what is. It means choosing to focus more on the happy moments than on the painful or stressful ones — you actively choose how to make sense of your experience. It is your life - your choice.

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” ~ John Lennon

“Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing.” ~ Seneca

“Life is ten per cent what happens to you and ninety per cent how you respond to it.” ~ Charles Swindoll

Life presents you with neutral experiences and it’s you that makes them positive or negative. Don’t get into the mentality that life is against you and is only providing you with things that are bad, you have to realise that you may have gotten into the habit of making neutral things bad in your own mind and responding to them in a negative way.

Change the way you perceive what is happening and you can respond better and have better experiences.

Each day has its own value. Values are about what you consider important to the life you want to live. They inform your priorities and when practised consistently, form the character you want to have.

They’re rooted in your core beliefs about what makes for a life well-lived and about the behaviour you want to model for others.

Look at them as the guideposts for your actions and decisions — the themes around which you want to design your life based on the type of person you aspire to be.

Kindness and compassion are closely related; the latter involves the readiness to see a situation from someone else’s perspective and to give them the benefit of the doubt. It also takes into consideration what the other person has gone through and chooses to respond with kindness rather than anger or vengefulness.

Patience. When someone is pushing your buttons, taking your time or attention away from something you want to finish, or making your life harder in some way, you practice patience by putting yourself in the others’ shoes, trying to see the situation from their perspective, and responding with kindness and respect.

Integrity. Integrity is about acting and speaking in accordance with your beliefs. If you say one thing but do the opposite, witnesses to this contradiction aren’t likely to recognise you as a person of integrity. They’re more likely to accuse you of hypocrisy.

Gratitude / Appreciation. When gratitude is a core belief, you make time for it every day. You prioritise both feeling gratitude and expressing it — in your thoughts, in the words you speak or write, and in your attitude and actions.

Forgiveness. Forgiveness is about letting go of anger and resentment toward those who have hurt or offended you.

Love. Love sees the good in everyone, and it wants good things for them. You may not always know what's best for someone else, but if you love them, you want their ultimate happiness, and you want to see them grow.

Growth. If growth is one of your core values, look for opportunities to grow as a person and to help others grow, too. Take the time to identify your values and your overall mission, so you can live in accordance with it and become more and more the person you have to be in order to fulfill your mission. Growth isn’t a destination but a process, and you want to enjoy that process and help others to enjoy their own.

Listening. If active listening is a core value for you, you value others’ input and invest time and energy in learning how to see things from their perspectives. So, it makes sense that when someone wants to tell you something, you give them your full attention and thoughtfully consider their words.

 Respect. If you want to be known for treating all human (or living) beings with respect, you probably base that respect on something more fundamental than someone’s rank or social status. Otherwise, why would you consider it a priority to treat all humans with equal respect — regardless of their age, income, or background? Or why would you put more energy into making sure the least exalted among you are treated with respect than into making sure others treat you with the same consideration.

Self-Giving. Another word for self-giving is sacrifice, but self-giving has a more positive connotation. Essentially, you’re giving of yourself — your time, your attention, your energy, your treasure, your abilities — to help or enrich another

Vision. Your vision is connected to one that is infinite and uncontainable — you do not exist to serve yourself at the expense of others; you exist to cooperate with others in the creation of a community that benefits all living creatures

Authenticity. Authenticity is being truthful about who you are. It means speaking your truth, openly and honestly — not hiding for fear of criticism or judgment, which will come anyway. As an authentic person, you don’t expect or need to be liked by everyone. You accept that some will have a problem with you and find it easy to judge you for what you reveal yourself. Some will feel affronted by your “out there-ness.”  

Balance. It’s not easy to balance work, relationships, and self-care. But you know from experience how important it is to do so. It’s too easy to sideline self-care to get more done. Do it once, and it’s even easier to do it again.

Community. As a community-minded person, while you’re not responsible for how other people might feel about you or your actions, you choose to consider the impact of your choices on the people around you. You value their safety and well-being and have goodwill toward them. 

Compassion. Compassion is what helps you overcome the impulse to judge another harshly or to find fault with them — choosing to see the good, even when it’s hidden. 

Creativity. You are a creator. As such, you have both the potential and the innate drive to create things that make lives better (including your own). 

Learning. You’re a big believer in the value of always learning. As an independent scholar, you look for ways to learn about the things that interest you. And you have plenty of resources to choose from books, video documentaries, websites,  etc.

The one thing we know about the future is that it comes only one day at a time - Jeff Rich