“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do you want to know how great things happen? Life achievements and big scary dreams? Buying a house, living a healthy lifestyle, making it to your 59th wedding anniversary (like my grandparents) or sticking to your intentions for 2010?
I’ll tell you how. One day at a time. Let me say it again: ONE. DAY. AT. A. TIME. Sure, tomorrow is a new year, but today is a new day. Make the most of it. Take a baby step toward a goal. Give a new habit one more chance to stick. Climb one step higher up the mountain even if you are afraid of heights.
Life gets too overwhelming for me when i think about committing to something like good health or a human or a house for 30+ years. I don’t know about you, but I find thoughts like that paralyzing, and an open invitation for my saboteur to swoop in and show me all the ways I’ll screw it up. So stop scaring yourself out of big things. You don’t have to do great things all at once, for the rest of eternity. You just have to give it your best shot on any given day. And that day is today.
“Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again.”
—Chinese inscription cited by Thoreau in Walden
I’ll skip the “be here now” and “be present” cliches and just say this: whether it’s a New Years resolution, a big dream, or some other scary endeavor that leaves you feeling vulnerable, uncertain, and maybe even stupid – the only way you will make it is by trusting your gut and taking baby steps. One foot in front of the other. If something scares you, that just means the opportunity is big enough. And that’s a great thing.
Stress is caused by having regrets about the past or worrying about the future. Focus on today, and trust that just for today – you can honor yourself and what you really want in this life. And if you stumble? Get back up the next day and keep going. ONE. DAY. AT. A. TIME. Just do me one favor: please remember to laugh and love yourself along the way.
May 2010 bring you ALL a year filled with joy, love and laughter. Cheers!
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If you are looking for books about how to be more present in everyday life, below are some of my favorites:
- Zen and the Art of Happiness (Chris Prentiss)
- Wherever You Go, There You Are (John Kabat-Zinn)
- A New Earth and Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle)
You'll get my 
