The fourth quarter has just begun. Are you on track to reach your 2024 goals? Most people have long given up on their goals for this year. But there is still time to make 2024 a great year if you finish strong.
Why do most people start the year with ambitious goals and grand plans, but soon quit and give up? The basic reason is they focus on what they want, but not how they will get it. Everyone has dreams, goals, and aspirations. The difference between reaching your dreams or settling for mediocrity, is your day-to-day actions.
The Greek poet Heraclitus said, “One day is equal to every day.” Each day holds the same opportunity to move towards your goals. Each day is the steppingstone to tomorrow. But if you don’t take control of your days, if you don’t take control of today, you’ll never reach your most cherished dreams.
John Maxwell says, “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do every day. The secret to success is found in your daily routine.”
You see, you can dream and set goals for the future, but you can only act in the present. You can only make progress today. Today is all we have to make our life what we want it to be.
There are two methods to help you achieve better control of your days and ultimately of your entire life.
First, when you look at your most important goals, what are the daily actions, the daily habits, the daily routines you must perform to make those goals a reality. You must break down and define your goal into the actions you can take today to reach your goal. It is similar to taking a long trip. If you know you are leaving on a trip in a day or two, you become very clear on everything you need to do to prepare and make the trip happen. You want to be just as clear on the actions to reach your goal.
Second, take time to think about your day and ask yourself, “What would an ideal day look like?” Knowing your goal, and knowing your daily actions, plan out an ideal or perfect day. You want a crystal clear picture of what the perfect day looks like. Plan out every hour of the day. You now have the clear goal of a perfect day. You know exactly what you want to do to achieve your dreams.
Now of course, every day won’t be a perfect day. In fact, you won’t have many perfect days. But as long as you are striving towards your perfect day, you are making progress. It is also easier and more fun if you turn it into a game. At the end of each day, rate your day from 0-10 on how close you were to your perfect day. You will be amazed at how much your mind starts to look for ways to make each day “more perfect.” You will notice more opportunities. You will meet the right people. You will find more solutions. You will become more creative in making the best of every situation.
The whole key to an incredibly successful life, is investing your days wisely. Just like you don’t want to waste money foolishly, you can’t afford to waste your days.
Steve Jobs said, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? If the answer is no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
Your entire life is made up of your days, Carpe Diem – Seize the Day!