Stop! Don’t start your day yet!

Please, don’t start your day yet.

Stop right there. You are getting ready to put your life on auto-pilot. Your life is not a Tesla. Don’t start your day until you have finished it.
Red Tesla model S - auto pilot

Autopilot is only for planes and some cars

You do not need auto-pilot for your life. You only get one shot at this. If someone said, “Here, I have deposited $1 million dollars into your bank account. The only stipulation is that you must be purposeful as to what you spend it on.” Would you then go and spend it on whatever hit your fancy at the moment until you had nothing left in your account? No, of course, you wouldn’t, but why do we do this with something that is worth much more than money, our lives. Learn to start your day on the right foot.

Every day is a do-over

Yep, every day is a do-over. We have the opportunity to right the mistakes of the previous day. We don’t have to treat life as if we were shampooing our hair. Rinse and repeat.  When you wake up in the morning, there are of course specific routines that we perform that are good and necessary for all of us, but after these routines have been performed, now it is time to figure out how you want today to be different than yesterday. In this age of texts, emails, voice mails, Skype, Hangouts and the plethora of other means of communication, we have to turn off, shut off, disable those things that demand our attention. Many of these things are merely digital reminders. They aren’t even human! If this day that you have been given, and by the way, each day is a gift, is worth living, then give yourself the best chance to make it better than yesterday.

Each day is like a ski jump

For me, each day is akin to a ski jump. Once you leave the gate, it’s all downhill. Gravity takes over, and there is no stopping.
sitting at the top of the ski jump

I don’t know about you, but it is almost impossible to stop that quick gliding down the slope. Once you start your day, it seems as if gravity takes over.  I liken it to standing at the gate, without your helmet, maybe one ski isn’t fastened in the bindings properly, you left your goggles at home, and then it begins. It’s too late. Your day has already started and at this rate, it’s not going to go well. You have to prepare before you make that long ascent to the top of the ski jump. At home, you would double check to make sure that you have all of your equipment, your skis are waxed to the condition of the slope, you have had ample protein and hydrated your body so that you are ready to go. Also, spending time in prayer or meditation will settle your mind. If I was going to go down a ski jump, all I would do is pray “Oh God, why did I agree to do this!”

Finish your day before you start it

Yep, you heard it right, finish your day before you start it. Know what you want to have accomplished before the end of the day. Know what is going to make the most significant difference in your life today and for others. Make that a priority. Carve out the time required for this. Don’t let anything short-circuit your plan. It’s not enough to think about it.
cartoon character holding oversized pencil with a task list. Start your day right with a to-do list.I find that writing things down solidifies them in my mind. Doing this at home NOT at work is the only way to clear your mind from the distractions. The nonspoken demands that just being in the atmosphere of work tend to kill that quiet space. Once you are at work, you have started that slide down the ski slope.

You will find that this works

I challenge you to try this for one week. If this does not work, then you can unsubscribe to my blog. For those of you that are not subscribers, if it does work, then subscribe.  I have found that this method does work. It is VERY powerful if you will do this in quiet before you begin your day. The goal is to stand at the top of the slope, confident that you are prepared, then let the wind blow through your hair as you glide to the best day of your life!

ski jumper flying in the air

28 thoughts on “Stop! Don’t start your day yet!”

  1. I always believe in two things which you have rightly mentioned here. FInish your day and Auto Pilot one. People should know that they should think what they are gonna do rather than saying what comes will comes. In most of the cases, it works but in some case, on the spot situation works.

  2. Interesting post. I do tend to prioritise different things each day depending on what hurdles I need to tackle. I tend to list them in my mind though as I blinker myself to do nothing but those first – I tend to lose lists.

  3. Wow this is so freaky, I literally just started writing down 3-4 things I WANTED to do each day to move me forward towards my goals. I do it first thing in the morning (or some things are preplanned) and it’s helped so much with that “ski slope” feeling.

    1. I sometimes believe that I can do this in quiet at my office. Ha! This never works for me.
      I have this special little room in my house where it is sort of sacred. It is a great place of reflection, soul-searching an daily planning.

  4. This is an eye opening post and a great reminder for us to make the most out of the day. I must admit I am guilty of always checking my phone for messages, schedules, etc. when I should be giving more attention to my family. That has got to change.

  5. I should try your advice. It seems I always start my day in a rush and I end up with half-accomplished tasks at the end of the day.

  6. I always write everything down from plans to goals to list and reminders! I am definitely a planner. I agree that writing things down helps solidify them in our minds. I also agree that everyday is a do-over!

  7. It helps you free up your mind, think on paper, and better organize your thoughts. If you don’t write things down, your mind spends more time “paper shuffling” and creates its own anxiety. Writing things down is a powerful habit. Even if you throw it away, you still get the benefits.

  8. I agree with this mindset 100%. At the end of every day, I try to just let everything go. That way the next morning I can wake up refreshed and ready to tackle my to-do list. Before each day starts, I make a mental checklist of what I want to accomplish. However, if I can’t get everything done, that is ok as there is always the next day 🙂

  9. “Everyday is a do over” well said. I am a planner and I also love writing, so I have a habit of writing everything down, from a to-do-list, goals, quotes, ideas etc….I find it helpful to have a plan and know ahead of time what I am doing the next day.

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