“You can spend your whole life imagining ghosts, worrying about your pathway to the future, but all there will ever be is what’s happening here, and the decisions we make in this moment, which are based in either love or fear.” -Jim Carrey
“Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. Inhabit your moments. Don’t rent them out to tomorrow. Do you know what you’re doing when you spend a moment wondering how things are going to turn out?” You’re cheating yourself out of today. Today is calling to you, trying to get your attention, but you’re stuck on tomorrow, and today trickles away like water down a drain. You wake up the next morning and that today you wasted is gone forever. It’s now yesterday. Some of those moments may have had wonderful things in store for you , but now you’ll never know.” -Jerry Spinelli in Love, Stargirl
“The best part about the future is that it comes one day at a time” -Abraham Lincoln
Ever use the phrase “I’ll start tomorrow?” I know I have. There’s been many to dos that I have had to take care of, only to put them off. Procrastinating can incur stress and create negative situations. Most of the time, they are minuscule like putting off making a lunch until the last minute or sleeping in.These procrastinations do not matter much in the grand scheme of it all. Other times, procrastination can have higher stakes. Imagine if you put off studying for a test until the night before. Or, you waited to ask your crush out on a date because you over thought the situation. Now, it’s too late to turn back the clock. Waiting for the last moment in these situations can cause immediate stress and long term regret.
The truth is, tomorrow does not exist in reality. It’s only an expression. Today is all we have. Life happens in the now. When we say “I’ll start tomorrow,” we give ourselves the permission to continue to put it off. Before we know it, the time we had available to us to make a change is long gone. Precious time is wasted in procrastination and inaction.
Most people start diets or workout programs on certain days. Some of the most popular times are Mondays, a new month, or a new year. However, no day is different from another. Monday is no more special than Wednesday. January does not bring higher chances of success over July. What matters most is that YOU START. Here’s what to consider when making a lifestyle changes:
- What is your goal?
- What materials/ resources do I need to accomplish this goal?
- What are activities/ actions will move me toward this goal?
- How will I measure my progress?
- When would I like to accomplish this goal?
Plans of REALISTIC action are necessary to achieving goals. Grandiose wishes remain just that. Great post to help incentivize people to get started!