Today…
Greeting dear friends & fellow navigators, & welcome to my world this week. I could not agree more with writer Stuart McRobert. “The secret of life is getting today right. Everyone can get today right, & if you can do it once, you can do it repeatedly,” he wisely said.
At this time of the year, people are obsessed with transformation. They want the complete reinvention. They buy the tools & planners, & finally declare this is the year everything changes.
But then, they get to February, & the motivation is gone. They aim at the wrong target.
“Getting today right” means doing the next right thing. Not the next ten things. Just the very next thing which matters. You have been avoiding this difficult conversation for some time now. Getting today right might mean sending a quick text: “can we talk this week?” You want to write a book? Today means writing just a paragraph. Even a bad one.
Everyone can get today right, & if you can do it once, you can do it repeatedly.
Your life right now is the accumulation of thousands of todays. Each one is barely noticeable. Each one is seemingly insignificant. But you are still here. Taking it one day at a time is how you change any area of your life.
You would think getting one day right would be easy. It is just twenty-four hours. We have had thousands of them. But today is all we have, & this can make it terrifying. Tomorrow is just pure potential. Today is real & requires actual decisions. Today means taking care of who you are right now, not who you wish you were, & sometimes, who you are right now is tired. Or scared. Or unsure. Or just so damn tired of trying.
But if you get one thing right. Just one. This will be enough.
Tomorrow you can double down on what works & keep repeating patterns working for you. You will find your own way of life to mean progress. Maybe it is getting outside for five minutes. Or making downtime a priority. Whatever it is, it is probably simpler than you think.
When you get today right repeatedly, you move in a direction. You might not know exactly where you will end up, but you are not staying still. The destination takes care of itself.
If you take nothing else from this, take this: start smaller than feels meaningful. Whatever you think “getting today right” means, cut it in half. Then cut it in half again. If you want to read more, getting today right means reading one page. If you want to be more present, it means making time for quality experiences. If you want to write, it means writing one sentence. You can always do more once you start. But you cannot start if the bar is so high & starting feels impossible.
You can get today right. You have done it before, even if you did not call it. Even if it did not feel like enough, do it again tomorrow, & the day after again. This is the secret, the whole secret.
I like what Stoic philosopher Seneca said, “Begin at once to live, & count each separate day as a separate life.” [1]
Just few observations again dear friends & provide an opinion in my world. Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate your being here. If my journey encourages you also, all is well with my soul. Looking forward to next week; this is Kenn Butler in Paradise, Nelson with best wishes.
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