One Day At A Time

Hello readers! I’m back after a short sabbatical from posting on this blog.

2020 is finally coming to an end. Another few days and we bid goodbye to this whirlwind of a year. The COVID-19 pandemic shook the entire world at its core. We’re now slowly getting back to normal, or shall I say “the new normal.”

As I was pondering about all that happened in 2020, something struck me. This year, though a nightmare for all, has made us emerge stronger and braver to face all the hurdles in our journey of life. More so, 2020 made us realise how uncertain our entire life is.

Uncertainty is something nobody loves. We prefer to be informed and be aware of what is to happen when we take a step forward. But this year was so unpredictable that it was almost impossible to guess what would happen the next moment.

A series of events spread over the year has brought an important lesson to fore: Each day matters. Probably Laila (Katrina Kaif) predicted this year way before in the movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara when she says, “Seize the day my friend … pehle iss din ko poori tarah jiyo, phir chalis ke baare mein sochna.”

We often hear the quote, “Live In The Present”. Though it sounds very easy to say and imagine doing, it is extremely difficult to actually put into action. Our minds are restless. They either think about what happened in the past or about what will happen in the future. And while we jump back and forth between the two, we tend to miss out on what the present has to offer.

“Be forgiving with your past self. Be strict with your present self. Be flexible with your future self.”

James Clear’s 3-2-1 Newsletter dated 16 July, 2020

From this month onwards, I am putting in efforts to live each day, one at a time, instead of always rushing ahead. I created a small bedtime ritual of sorts. Before sleeping, I update my digital journal with One Thing I’m Grateful For, and One Small Win For The Day.

I know people generally ask you to list out 3/5/10 things you’re grateful for each day. But from what I’ve gauged, our minds don’t want to think so much. More often than not, we find the entire exercise too much of an effort and abandon it altogether. So, I chose to write just ONE thing I’m grateful for.

Of course, you can always list down the obvious things such as a lovely family, a great set of friends, food to eat, or a house to live in. But I wanted to be very specific when it came to this exercise. I decided to write what I was grateful for that particular day. Each day is a gift. No matter how small, but you’re sure to find even one thing to be glad to have that day.

Faithful readers of my blog will know how much I believe in starting small to achieve bigger goals. Which is why I decided on adding in a line about one small win I made each day. My previous blog post speaks about a leg injury I sustained which left me drained out and sulky. There were days when I was demotivated to do anything productive.

But not until I started recording my tiny victories each day. These made me slowly regain my confidence and brought a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day. There is something good in each day of your life. There truly is. Even though we feel like nothing could be worse, there still is beauty in every day.

2020 is over but it has taught me a bucketload of lessons and has made me grow and flourish way more than I ever expected. I’m going to continue this exercise of “One Day At A Time” for the next year and the years to come. I’m sure it will only bring happiness, peace and comfort in my life.

I urge you to try something like this (or the same exercise as mine!) and remain consistent with it. I assure you, you will not want to stop once you develop a habit towards it.

Until next time, stay blessed, stay happy and stay safe. The pandemic isn’t over yet. Remain on guard.

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