Do what you can today

Do everything you can do today, and nothing more. I know that sounds like really simplistic advice, but there’s truth in it, and it is very good advice indeed. If you take note of it your life will benefit tremendously.

Each morning we wake up to a whole new world. We don’t usually realise this, so we often wake up miserable and grumpy, but the truth is it’s a new world and too often we’re still mentally hanging around in the old one. Because we’re suffering from a ‘yesterday hangover’ we only see the world as it was, so it’s really not surprising that we make that mistake. But perception is everything; if we start to see things in a different light, everything changes.

Change your viewpoint

Every day, in truth, is a new day, and each and every one is self-contained and isolated from all the others. So it’s true to say that each day we wake up to what is, effectively, a whole new world, and one that’s bursting with fresh opportunities.

What we do with it is the thing. Like I said, we often wake up grumpy and in the wrong frame of mind. But that’s a matter of choice. If you generally wake up like that, make an effort to change your ways. Start to build up a habit that will see you waking up smiling and eager to enter into the new world that awaits you.

Create a habit of waking up energetically

The way to go about this is simple. Each night, just before you go to sleep, spend a minute or two preparing for sleep, and for waking up the next morning. Quickly review the day (it doesn’t have to be a long, detailed review, just a few moments) and recall the things you’ve done, and the things that happened during the day. Then look forward to waking up refreshed and energetic and eager to grab hold of all the opportunities the new day brings with it. That’s it!

What you’re doing when you do this is you’re putting the day to bed. It’s over, and it needs to be recognised as being over and done with. There shouldn’t be anything left over from it to seep into the next day. If you’ve had disagreements or arguments they should be finished and forgotten. If you’ve failed to complete a task, that’s it for the day – if you need to go ahead with it, it’s for tomorrow, or some other day, but for now, it’s over and done with. Wrap the day up and tie up any loose ends.

Do what you can, and nothing more

Determine that you’ll start the next day with a clean slate. And if you have things that you need to do, determine to get on with them and get them done. This determination, just this telling yourself that you’re going to take care of things tomorrow, is enough to generate the urge to do whatever is necessary.

You’ll sleep more soundly having spent that minute or so wrapping the day up. And you’ll be preparing to wake up bright and early next morning (assuming that’s what you want to do), and in the right frame of mind to make the day an enjoyable and successful one.

So … what constitutes a successful day?

What makes a successful day? When you do what you can, all you can … and nothing more! There’s no good shooting for the Moon, all you need to do is go about your business and do what’s necessary, and what you feel able to do that day. And if you mentally prepare the night before, you’ll know what’s necessary, and you’ll feel ready and able to get on with doing it.