DAY
329
“Regret for wasted time is more wasted time.”
— Mason Cooley
Hopefully, yesterday’s reflection did not send you into a tailspin of despair over the time you’ve wasted. It was meant to heighten your awareness, not bring you grinding to a halt. Here is the catch: you waste even more time if you sit around feeling bad about the time you wasted.
What is the solution? Action. (You have probably learned by now that action is almost always the solution.) Stop regretting and start moving. What can you do today to increase the value of your time? Start by making a list of the top ten most wonderful ways to spend it. What are the most valuable things you have done with your minutes? Unfortunately, there is no roll-over plan in real life, so you should really pick the best of the best. Is it playing with your children? Volunteering? Creating something new? Hiking in the woods? Reading a great book? You decide.
Spend some time today writing down valuable ways to spend your time. Then put your journal away, and do the things on your list. Journaling will help give you direction, but no amount of writing or wishing will get the job done. Take action.
Stop wasting time. Use it today as if it were more precious than gold or jewels or even ultimate success. Time is not unlimited, and it slips out of your grasp faster than you think.
DAY
330
“A single day is enough to make us a little larger.”
— Paul Klee
For the past several days, you have considered the tragedy of wasted time. Today, you will have an opportunity to look at a slightly more positive spin on the concept. Time gives you limitless possibilities. Time is opportunity.
You have an opportunity every single day to follow your dreams. If today ends up being a bad day, tomorrow you have a brand new opportunity to shape your destiny. You can start over at any point in life and change your circumstances for the better. You don’t have to wait until you circle back to the starting line. You can call a do-over right now, if you want. Did you have a bad morning? Change it. Take control of this moment and change the way your day is shaping up. You, and no one else, are charting the course of your life.
Today is enough to start the process. As the quote above states, a single day is enough. What do you want to do to make yourself just a little bit larger? Do you want to learn a new skill? Do you want to practice kindness?
You can also change someone else’s life in a single day. You can make them smile if they are feeling down or helping them with a task that is difficult. What else can you do in a day? Put yourself in the superhero mode that you practiced way back on. What incredible things can you accomplish in just one day? Stretch yourself. Remove your limits. Find out what you’re really capable of achieving.
DAY
331
“Personally I’m always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.”
— Sir Winston Churchill
Are you teachable? That might not be as easy to answer as you think. Sometimes pride gets in the way. It’s a wonderful feeling of empowerment when you get to teach someone else. Sharing your knowledge feels good. However, when you are on the receiving end, do you gracefully accept help and become a good student? Or do you turn away a potential teacher because you don’t want to admit they know more than you do?
Winston Churchill makes an interesting point in the quote above. You can be ready to learn at any time but not always enjoy being taught. Why is that? Some people feel like it puts them in an inferior position, or they just don’t like people telling them what to do. They would rather struggle to learn a skill through their own personal study than talk to an expert and learn faster in a one-on-one situation.
How do you learn? Do you prefer the do-it-yourself method, or are you willing to accept help from someone who has more knowledge on a particular subject than you do? Write in your journal today about the most effective ways that you learn. Think about whether or not you slow down your success when you don’t accept help from someone who would like to teach you.
Pride is a roadblock on your road to achievement. Practice accepting help, and remove that obstacle from your journey.
DAY
332
“Swallow your pride occasionally, it’s non-fattening!”
— Unknown
Today you will have an opportunity to continue to work on pride as an obstacle to success. One of the hardest things to do is swallow your pride. On the other hand, if you can manage to do it, you will see terrific results—and it’s non-fattening!
Make a list of the times that you have had to swallow your pride. Write extensively about one of your experiences. Next, make a list of future opportunities you might have to swallow your pride and then detail the positive things that might come out of taking that action.
At ninety years old, Leroy knew that he was no longer a good driver. He still had a valid license, but his eyesight had gone bad, and he wasn’t as quick to react to hazardous driving conditions as he used to be. It was a very difficult task, but Leroy finally swallowed his pride and admitted to his daughter that he didn’t think he should drive anymore. It felt like defeat at first, but Leroy’s daughter was impressed with his ability to acknowledge the fact that things had changed. She was proud of him for being strong enough to do the right thing. As it turned out, Leroy’s daughter took the time to drive him where he needed to go, and their relationship deepened when they had more time to spend together in the car.
Swallowing your pride is not a failure. It can be an example of strength of character. Learn to swallow your pride occasionally—it’s non-fattening!
DAY
333
“Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.”
— Kahlil Gibran
Sometimes a little bit of pride isn’t such a bad thing. Vicki was out of a job and looking for work. She finally swallowed her pride and went to a local shelter where they were handing out gently used clothes in addition to a hot meal. Other women were snatching up as many items as they could carry, but Vicki only took one thing: a navy suit that would give her a professional appearance as she interviewed for new jobs. Vicki needed clothes badly, but she took less than what she needed in order to leave some clothes for other women. Her pride in this case turned into an act of generosity.
Two years later, Vicki went back to that shelter. The blue suit had helped her to land a respectable job at a local firm. She had worked hard, learned everything she could about the business, and had eventually built her way up to a lower management position. Vicki was successful, but she still didn’t have a lot of clothes. She kept barely what she needed to get by and then bought new clothes to give to the shelter that had helped her when she was in need. Vicki also volunteered at the shelter, cooking meals three times a week. She had become a success, and her generosity increased right along with her achievements.