“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Grant me the patience with changes that take time, appreciation of all that I have, tolerance of those with different struggles, and the strength to get up and try again, one day at a time.”—Reinhold Niebuhr
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When I was still in high school, there was one Michael Jackson that became popular. Most young people in those days listened to it. The first paragraph went this way: “One day in your life / You’ll remember a place / Someone touching your face / You’ll come back, and you’ll look around…”
Robert Ralph “Bob” Parsons is the founder and CEO of YAM Worldwide, Inc., which is home to his entrepreneurial ventures in the fields of power sports, golf, real estate, and marketing.
At one time, he said, “No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don’t look too far into the future and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.”
One day really makes a difference. We live one day at a time. Before tackling today’s subject, allow me to share this anecdote which I am sure you are already familiar with:
At one time, a young man died and he faced Peter along the way. Peter told him that he needed to answer three questions correctly to go to heaven or else his soul will go to hell.
One of the three questions Peter asked was to name at least two days of the week whose letters start with T. Instead of saying “Tuesday and Thursday,” the young man answered, “Today and Tomorrow.”
This brings us to the subject of yesterday. Well, I am sure a lot of people still live in the past, especially those who lost their loved ones. “Yesterday is gone but not its memories. There were so many things we expected yesterday which did not happen and what we least expected happened instead.”
What about tomorrow? “Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one,” said Walter Payton. Og Mandino seems to be brutal as he wrote: “Tomorrow is only found in the calendar of fools.”
Yesterday and tomorrow are “the two days in every week” in which “we should not worry,” to quote the words of Jennifer Kritsch. We should be free from fear and imprisonment for these two days.
Yesterday should be forgotten “with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.” Yesterday is no longer with us; it has passed forever beyond our control. “All the money in the world cannot be brought back yesterday,” Kritsch wrote. “We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word said. Yesterday is gone.”
Don’t worry about tomorrow “with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance.: Like yesterday, tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. “Tomorrow’s sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds – but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.”
If tomorrow never comes, so goes a line of a song.
What about today? Kritsch points out: “Any man can fight the battles of just one day; it is only when you or I add the burdens of those two awful eternities – yesterday and tomorrow – that we break down. It is not the experience of today that drives men mad – it is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.”
Let us, therefore, “live one day at a time,” urges Charles W. Shedd. “You can plan for tomorrow and hope for the future, but don’t live in it. Live this day well and tomorrow’s strength will come tomorrow.”
Today is now – that’s why it is called the present. So, today, try to do the following:
Pray. Go to bed on time. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed. Say No to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health. Delegate tasks to capable others.
Simplify and unclutter your life. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.) Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.
Separate worries from concerns. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it.
Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases. Keep your mouth shut; this single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
Get enough rest. Eat right. Get organized so everything has its place. Write down thoughts and inspirations. Every day, find time to be alone. Laugh. Laugh some more. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most). Sit on your ego. Talk less; listen more. Slow down. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
Handle the hardest job. Easy ones are pleasures. Do not be afraid of criticism. Be glad and rejoice in the other fellow’s success. Be enthusiastic – it is contagious. Be fair and do at least one decent act.
Have confidence in yourself; believe you can do it. Harmonize your work. Let sunshine radiate and penetrate your relationships. Mend a quarrel. Search out for a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust.
The Daily Motivator reminds: “As you go through this day, keep in mind what an incredible, irreplaceable, great experience life is. Wherever you go, whatever your circumstance, fill the moments with meaning and richness. Today is a special day, a day to be alive. Live it with joy, with wonder and intensity. Your great experience is happening now.”
