Journey Through A Successful Day!

Of the many different things that a person has control of in their life, over the last decade, I chose to focus on daily routines and activities. While some of us focus on career, health, relationships, money, looks, and a plethora of other things that are too numerable to list, my focus is on today. It is easy for me to focus on today even while keeping my eye on the horizon and thinking about the future. Without trying to be a bore, the following is a brief outline of what helps me live a fulfilling and rewarding life without the complications of worrying about things outside of my control.

1.  Wake up early everyday. By waking up early I have the opportunity to embrace the day by relishing in the joy of waking up alive and embracing life.

2.  Exercise daily. I couldn't imagine a better way to kick start your metabolism and focus on your health and longevity. Walking at least 10,000 steps a day will increase your time spent on the planet. Remember, lazy and tired are not excuses to skip exercise. I try to run at least 5k five or six times a week. Sometimes I just don't do it, but that is no excuse. Just remember, the more you do, the longer you live, the choice is yours.

3.  Groom like there is no tomorrow. There is nothing more refreshing than a hot shower or a warm bath followed by a deliberate attempt to keep your ears clean, nails cut, skin moisturized, hair tamed, and a variety of other personal hygiene tasks that will make you feel good and contribute to your health. Stay clean.

4.  Think about your goals. Allow your mind to wander through the garden of goals you previously planted and consider the growth, health, and stage that each goal is in. This is a time to consider those goals that easily come to mind without stressing yourself about each and every one of them.

5.  Imagine the perfect day. Picture yourself strolling through your day in a time lapse sort of way, from beginning to end and as much in between. Smile and feel the success of your perfect day before it even begins.

6.  Focus on fashion. Dress for the occasion without regard for what others may think. If you focus on what is appropriate and wear comfortable shoes you will always feel good and present yourself well. You do not have to dress up, dress down, or dress at all. Sometimes just being naked is all it takes.

7.  List the things you would like to accomplish. Jot down some of the things you would like to complete each day. If you create mega lists you will undoubtably have items that carry over to the next day. Learn to create efficient, reasonable, and appropriate lists that will help you successfully meet obligations and expectations of the various people you will be involved with during the course of your day. This is key for work and play.

8.  Scour your favorite media. Check out the latest released music, absorb some news, read your favorite blogs, listen to your favorite radio stations or podcasts, take a look at some cartoons, view current events. Whether you do this with mainstream, subversive, or counter culture media is up to you, as long as you immerse yourself in things that make you tick. Stay as informed as you can. Know more today than you knew yesterday.

9.  Do. Approach your obligations and deadlines in an ambitious and thorough manner while prioritizing each event or item according to difficulty and need. Tackling the most difficult things first while my mind is fresh always works well for me. There is no rule book on how to do this, so do something, however you like to do it. As long as you are doing, you will feel good and not feel behind or overwhelmed.

10. Focus on the task at hand, deliver, and keep your eye on the horizon. This item happens to be one of my specialties. Focus is critical to each task you wish to accomplish. You will still have time to daydream and let your mind wander, but the time for that is not while addressing a task. Focus on the task and deliver its completion. I take pleasure in delivering something no matter what it is, to whoever is expecting it. This applies to everything in your life, and should yield great success at home, at school, at work, in the park, on the road, or in any area you wish to apply it to.

11. Get involved. Interact with people in your life at home, at work, in public places, in private places. Address problems and take ownership of things that other people could use help with. Use your expertise to stay on top of everything. No problem is too big, no problem is too small. Just deal with it. Help people learn things when you see them struggle with the wide variety of tasks and problem solving situations they get into. Let them have a fair chance at doing things themselves, but when you recognize the struggle, lend a hand. Do not be stingy with your capabilities, your gift, or you.

12. Stayed hydrated and well nourished. Drink a lot of water, gatorade, and juice. Never try to lose weight by not drinking water. The number one cause of cancer is chronic dehydration. Cells cannot function and perform without sufficient water. Once you screw one cell up, it divides, and those two divide, and so on, and so on until.....you have a great big tumor. Snack on fruit, nuts, veggies, salads,

and eat low fat, low carb foods that are high in protein, fiber, and low in calories.

13. Reach out to your people. Everybody in your life deserves to hear from you. They deserve to hear about you. They deserve to be yelled at by you. They deserve your time. They deserve your love. In return, they will bless you with their time, their life's journey, their yelling at you. You deserve it. Tell your people how much they mean to you, let them know you care, tell them how important they are. Make them feel how they deserve to feel. The digital age has a way of encouraging disconnect for being so connected. Do not let your people down. It is the worse thing you can do to them and yourself.

14. Keep yourself grounded to the earth and its creatures. Step over the ant line that is crossing the sidewalk, smell the flowers, sit in the grass field, hike in the streets, hike in the woods, pet the goats and miniature horses. Love the stray animals you come across, feed them, pet them, help them. Relish in the beauty of life itself. Look around in awe. How did all this happen? Trees, animals, insects, parasites, planets, stars, water, and you. Regardless of your beliefs, this realization must occur for you to respect everything that exists. Treat everything like it is part of you. Never forget.

15. Stay organized. Everything has its place, everyplace has its thing. Write notes to yourself, use technology to keep track of events in your life, meetings, dates, and late night rendezvous. Don't be confused, don't misplace your keys, don't be late, don't be too early. Organization is key to happy and healthy living.

16. Make time for family and self. Everyone needs time for themselves. Everyone needs time for their families. Getting sucked into a vacuum that takes your personal life away is no excuse. Long showers and silent walks sometimes fill the area in your life that you need. Don't be afraid to be alone for a while. Many people have zero alone time, except when they drive to and from work. Learn to let go. Sometimes things are so heavy that you have no choice but to let go. In return for the time you make for yourself, you are obligated to make time for your family. Touch the ones you love, read to them, share stories, listen to them, hear what they say, let them touch you. At the end of your life, only you will know if your life was well spent. Don't miss an opportunity to give your loved ones a wet willie, or a pat on the back, or a kiss on the cheek.

17. Rest and relax.

18. Get a good nights sleep. Go to sleep when you are ready. Since you get up early, it makes sense to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. It's fine to stay up late and catch a movie, have a quickie with your significant other, text your friends while they are out drinking. No matter what you do, stay rested. Keep your average amount of sleep constant, your body and mind will thank you for it. Plus you will live longer.

At the end of the day, what matters most is that you pay attention, work hard, rest, and more importantly......have fun.