Today is life - the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today.Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby.
Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.
~Dale Carnegie
Despite an afternoon on the lake with friends yesterday, warmed by the sun, cooled by the water and my spirit refreshed by the wind in my face, by nightfall I was weighed down by a heavy blanket woven of stress.
My untouched to-do lists (just the introduction page to a whole book of to-do's and want-to's and need-to's) glared at me when I got home, like a neglected spouse or child, and my brain scrambled through the minutes of the next week, trying to project and plan how and when I would get this stuff done between work and sleep.
It was exhausting! I could feel myself shutting down mentally; I just wanted to crawl into bed and call it a day.
And I probably should have because I spent a restless night full of strange dreams, my brain still scrambling to figure out that schedule. I woke still exhausted.
Then I read this reminder from Dale about life and I shook myself awake. I remembered my own advice: do what I can do today, do the best I can do, do as much as I can, but keep it prioritized and balanced. Don't worry about what doesn't get done or what I can't control. Just start over tomorrow.
Because today is the only day I need to worry about. The only day I'm guaranteed. It might be a day spent focused on those to-do's (because I know with every one I scratch out, that blanket of stress gets lighter and lighter), and there are some - bills that are due or other deadlines - that I have to take care of, no matter what.
So I'm not tossing out my lists - everything on them is important and I do need to take care of them, eventually. But I'll ignore their dirty looks. I'll refuse to let them make me feel guilty for spending time with friends and family, sharing my thoughts here, playing my drums, or capturing priceless moments with my camera. Those are the colors in my life, the sun, the water, and the winds of my enthusiasm.
Happy Monday! Shake yourself awake!
