The secret of your success lies in your daily routine.
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is yet to come, all that we have is TODAY. If we want to achieve something substantial, we have to make TODAY count. A person who has one's complete and uninterrupted focus on the present day is the one who can make all the coming days count.
Yes we need to think of the past because there are experiences and lessons to be learnt from it. We also need to think about the coming days because we need plan for them. But after all this is done, things again boil down to what we are doing with the day we have i.e. TODAY. Think about it.
When do we have to implement the lessons and experiences gained from the past? It has to be done TODAY.
When do we have to work to implement the plans made for the coming days? It has to be done TODAY.
What day do we have in hand today? It is TODAY.
There is nothing wrong in thinking about the past and the future. In fact, we cannot function without it. The problem starts when one starts dwelling in the past and the future too much. Once we are done taking in the lessons and experiences from the past and planning for the future, bring back the attention to TODAY. That is the real challenge.
WHY?
The past is full of lessons and experiences. These are often accompanied with anger, resentment and regret or positive emotions like joy, satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. Similarly, the future is often associated with emotions like anxiety, anticipation and uncertainty. These are all very strong emotions and it is very easy for one to get carried away with these.
Once we are done taking the lessons from the past, we keep re-living the associated emotions. Likewise once done planning for the future, we keep living in the associated emotions. This takes up a lot of time and energy from TODAY.
So, what to do?
We need to keep reminding ourselves that the real action happens TODAY and NOW. Whenever you find yourself dwelling too much on yesterday or tomorrow, gently bring your attention and focus back to today. This can be done with the help of visual reminders or reminders on your electronic devices.
If you are the kind of person who has the habit of spending too much time in the past of the future, have multiple reminders. The fine points of HOW will differ from person to person but the one thing common to all is that the only playing field that we all have is in TODAY.
Make big plans but break them down into smaller 'bite sized' parts down to individual day. Focus on the day and the goals for that day. Do this and you will find that your goal is reached before you even realize it. As mentioned above, by all means refer to the past and plan for the future but after this come back to TODAY.
Start each day with.....
The best way is to focus yourself at the very beginning of the day. In the morning, while getting ready, look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself the question, "What are you doing today?"
