Are you one of those people who want to change something in order to become a better person and live a more fulfilled life, and while waiting that big change to happen, you realize that life is passing by and you are still lost and somewhat confused? I find myself in that position occasionally. Which is why I decided to take baby steps towards changing my life, as opposed to hoping for the opportunity to take that big jaw-dropping leap. Which might or might not happen. Don’t get me wrong, I am an optimist. Yet in this case it will be the teeny tiny steps, at least in the beginning, that will allow me to see changes, however small they are, but see them nonetheless and build my confidence as I go. I will call this my “One A Day” program. And it goes like this: every day I will end my day by pondering over how the day went and making one change to make tomorrow better. And most importantly, STICK WITH IT no matter what. Which is why the pondering part is rather important. Because committing to something I am not convinced of or I will not be able to keep up with will not be worth my time. Yet at the same time, given that I have to be kind and forgiving to myself – and so should you – and also because learning from one’s own mistakes is a powerful learning tool, I definitely expect to take a few wrong steps. Maybe one, maybe more.  What matters is that I learn from my mistakes – and so should you – and in time I will learn to choose my “One A Day” wisely.

Here are a few examples of the “One A Day” changes you or I can make:

  • Check email just twice a day as opposed to every 15 minutes (set a time in the morning and a time in the afternoon, unless your business depends on sending prompt replies – truth be told, few jobs are like that, but somehow we make them look that way because  we love the excitement of checking the email a few times every hour)
  • Start the day by doing a few deep breathing exercises – this could take a few minutes of your time and the benefits are tremendous
  • Go to bed no later than 11pm – no need to explain (as I write this past midnight, I feel like I should start with this as my first)
  • Write down two reasons for being grateful each day (increase to five as you settle yourself in)
  • If you work from home, do not pick up the phone during your working hours no matter how big the temptation to do so. If someone wants to communicate with you, as opposed to just wasting your time, they will leave a message and yes, that message will be blinking quietly until the time comes for you to listen to it. 

 

Please feel free to add your “One A Day” suggestions and if you care to adopt the program, please share your successes as well. If we want to make the world a better place we have to start by changing ourselves into better, happier people. Start today.
My first “One A Day” is early bedtime. It won’t be easy but I will do it. Wait, didn’t I say small baby steps? Well, never mind. Let’s do it. And STICK WITH IT!