As a coach, I have always focused on what I call ‘the day-to-day’. Yes, I create a strategy and develop long-term goals, and I know where we are headed and why; however, I also understand that the success we seek can only come from being focused and committed to the tasks that each day brings.

As each of us is unique and, therefore, so are our wants, needs, goals and aspirations, it would not be hard to comprehend that our approach to ‘the day-to-day’ would also be relevant to our specific circumstance and, therefore, unique.

However, as we explore and study the uniqueness of our daily lives, it is only fair and reasonable to consider some of the ideas we can all use to achieve success, achievement, and accomplishment every day.

Here are a few insights to help you:

1. It starts the night before

Don’t wait until the day begins to determine what you will do and why. Your planning starts the day before when it is needed. What I am asking you to consider is, before today finishes, get your head around what your priorities will be for tomorrow. Get a plan in place for what you will do, why, and how, and in the process, allow yourself to rest easily for the rest of the day, knowing that tomorrow is all ready to go.

2. Fuel the body

Get up and get some sunshine and H2O into that body. Depending on your night, chances are that you haven’t drunk too much in the past 6-8 hours, so get some water into you and rehydrate. Whatever comes next depends on whether you eat now or after you have exercised; either way, your body needs nutrition. Without telling you what to eat, the best rule of thumb for breakfast is to consume what is best for your needs instead of the easiest or most convenient.

3. Get moving

Mind, body, and soul—exercise them all, and consider jump-starting your day by stimulating the physical, psychological, and spiritual.

4. Revisit the big picture

Perhaps this doesn’t have to be done every day, but I do believe you need to bring context and perspective about the ‘day-to-day’ by revisiting why you are doing what you are and how this all fits into the goals and aspirations you have set for yourself.

5. What you say will go a long way towards what you do

And I am not talking about how you speak to others. What I’m talking about here is how you talk to yourself. Are you encouraging, enlightening, and stimulating? Or do you just there, with that little internal voice saying, “It’s too hard”, “You expect too much”, “You sacrifice too much”, or “It’s not worth it”? In most cases, your negative internal voice will be there whether you want it or not. Whether you listen to it or not is a whole different discussion, but basically, it becomes your decision to listen or not. However, from today, I want your optimistic, realistic self-talk to overpower the negative internal voice, not through force but through reason.

6. Get started don’t get distracted

Get into your world, get focused, and get going. Avoid getting dragged into anything and everything that can or will derail a positive and rewarding start to the day. Avoid the news, complainers, and toxic situations. Ensure the first few hours of your day have the fewest distractions possible. How you begin your day decides how well you will live it, so start strong.

7. It won’t be perfect

No matter what you do and how you approach the ‘day-to-day’, it is never perfect. But don’t worry, understand it and plan for it. I factor in a percentage of time daily and earmark it as “get mucked around time”. It’s not that this time is useless or doesn’t bring benefits, but it is used for things I hadn’t seen coming and didn’t plan for. Factoring in this time allocation allows me to stay on track and on top of stuff even when I get distracted from what I should be doing. 

8. See it well before you do it.

Don’t underestimate the value of a detailed, intentional daydream. Sorry, visualisation, as the psychologists call it. Big ideas, inspirations, and aspirations can come from them. Find a quiet space and expand your horizons, beliefs and goals. Perhaps the life-changing epiphany will finally hit you and quite literally send you on the adventure of your dreams.

9. You can always control what is going on around you, but you can always be in control 

The first thing to understand and remember is that there is a big difference between being in control and being able to control. Sometimes, stuff that is way out of your control happens, but this doesn’t mean you can’t take back the ascendancy by controlling how you deal with the situation.

In reality, the only control you have is how you handle the unpredictability of life.

10 Life Rewards Action

My dad used to remind me of this almost daily. He pointed out that thinking is essential, but ‘doing’ is even more so. Doing things creates optimistic emotion, which usually leads to attaining specific outcomes simply because of the actions it has generated. “Life Rewards Action”.

Ten points to make sure…

The Journey Continues!