When we do the things, we would like to achieve, only today, just for today, and then do this every day, we slowly and steadily reach our goals.
When I was listening to the 64th verse of the Tao Te Ching, interpreted*, and read by dr. Wayne W. Dyer, he was talking about doing something today, just for today. That makes in manageable.
For instance, if you want to stop drinking alcohol, if you want to stop eating sugar, if you want to start exercising, reading, writing, … no matter what you would like to achieve, if you do it just for today, if you start with one thing, just for today, you have already set the first foot in the right direction.
We often don’t start changing our lives, because it feels so overwhelming, it feels undoable, it feels as way too much.
We would like to be fit, but we don’t start exercising.
We would like to stop drinking alcohol or stop smoking, but it seems impossible to grasp the idea that we can never have a drink, or a cigarette again.
We would like to write a book, but we are convinced that we can’t.
This doubt, this lack of trust in being able to do something, is popping up every time we want to change our habits.
But if we do this new behavior for one day, just for today, we know we can. We believe we can do it. We engage in this new habit because we know we will manage for just one day.
And that is the start of many days, of a life, with this new habit.
If you want to stop drinking alcohol, don’t have a drink today.
If you want to quit smoking, don’t smoke today.
If you want to eat more healthily, don’t eat any sugar today.
If you want to write a book, write 10 lines today.
If you want to be more fit, go for a walk today.
Do this new behavior for one day.
In the evening, feel how proud you are, because you did it. Enjoy the feeling of having made the first step towards the life you would like to live.
The next day, set the same intention.
Setting small, achievable goals**, makes you start.
Once you’ve started, keep going.
Keep doing this until it’s become a very natural part of your life.
As I talk*** a lot about our conscious and subconscious mind, you won’t be surprised, I mention it here again. 🙂
Our subconscious mind, our Protective Self, does everything in its power to keep us doing things we know, things we’ve done before. So, every change, even good ones, are seen as hostile, as to be avoided, as the subconscious mind can’t find a previous, similar behavior, and therefor does not know what signals to give us.
But, luckily we have our conscious mind, the mind that we can steer, the mind that is open to new situations and new behavior. We need to do our new behavior today, with our conscious mind telling us what to do. That will already provide our subconscious mind with one experience. The next day, we do it again, with our conscious mind. And we get another experience for the subconscious mind. We keep repeating this until our subconscious mind does not see our new habits as strange, as unknown, any more. That’s the moment we have created a new habit, a new pattern in our life. It has become a natural habit, something we know, and that’s when it becomes easy to keep it up.
This works for all kinds of behavior. Whenever you want to act differently, feel differently, think differently, make a conscious decision to do so. Practice the way you want to think, feel and act, every day, until it has become your ‘normal’, your natural way of being.
Rachel Macy Stafford**** wrote a beautiful book ‘Only Love Today’ in which she reminds herself and her family to be loving and kind, every single day. No matter what happens today, react in a loving and kind way. I have put this title on the whiteboard in our kitchen:
“Only Love Today”.
This simple reminder will make the difference in every situation you will encounter today. Just this reflection of having a choice in how we behave, makes all the difference in the world. Choose to act in the way you want to act, in the way you are the person you like to be, in the way that you set out for yourself to be(-come).
Choosing how you want to be as a person, is the same intention, as the intention to change the other behaviors mentioned before, eating more healthily, exercising, not drinking, learning something new, …
If we start our day, saying, only love today, we set the intention of being kind, compassionate and loving towards everyone today.
And when we do this every day, we start being a kinder, more loving person. And isn’t that our ultimate goal? To be a kind, loving person?
My invitation to you all this week is:
Think about what you would like to change, about what you would like to achieve in your life, on every level of your being.
Make a list if there are more than one.
Choose one for now.
See what you can do today.
Do it.
In the evening, reflect on your day, write down what you’ve achieved.
Set your goal for the next day.
Do this every single day.
Have an accountability partner if you like. That can help you to keep going.
But most of all, enjoy what you’ve done, be proud of yourself.
I know, we’re only human, and we may slip up some times, but when it happens, acknowledge the slip up, let it go, and set your goal for tomorrow.
Keep going.
The journey of a thousand miles, begins with one single step.
Lao Tzu.
Keep your goal in mind, know why you want to achieve it, and keep behaving in the way you will reach it.
Once you feel it has become a new habit, choose something else from your list.
I wish you all, the courage, the joy, and the perseverance, to change into the person you really want to be.
Think about the joy you’ll feel when you’ve become that person.
Feel this already, every evening, when you reflect on the day, and realize what you’ve achieved today.
Keep going, just for today, and do this day after day.
Thank you all for reading me, and for supporting me on Medium! If you want unlimited access to all of my articles, and of many other authors, you can become a Medium Member. You’ll be supporting me and all the other authors. Many, many thanks to you all!!!
Katrien
*’Change your Thoughts, Change your Life.’ By dr. Wayne W. Dyer.
**’Getting back to Happy’ by Marc and Angel Chernoff.
***’The Trouble is, it’s All up to You.The Good thing is, it’s All up to You.’ And many more of my articles here on Medium, by Katrien Degraeve.
****’Only Love Today‘ by Rachel Macy Stafford.