Everyday Choices.
One more day.
It is a bright and sunny day. It’s been an early start to my day starting at 4am. Meditation and some stretching exercises have set the tone for the day. I log into my home office for work. I draw up my list of top 3 priorities for the day in my planner including professional and domestic duties. Detailed tasks get listed in the To Do section. Scheduled meetings are noted in the hourly breakup section. I start working on my list. I message the plumber to meet me at lunch time to brief him of the pending work.
The day is productive. At 11am, I feel so much work is accomplished already. So much of the day is still left and I am confident of acing my list.
As my work day draws to a close, I feel so fulfilled. I feel connected to everything. I spend sometime talking to my wife as she is working on her work deliverables. I spend sometime with my son as he returns home from his play. I work on some of my personal goals listed for the day and hit the bed slightly later than my scheduled sleep time. On hitting the bed, I sleep like a baby, feeling fully contented.
The daily dilemma.
The next day is the complete opposite of the previous day. I get up late. I am struggling to start my day. I drop my son at his school bus stand. I stuff breakfast into my mouth to be on time to start my work day. The plumber messages me to seek permission to start the work. I start to feel like a horse bolting from its stable. I am rushing from one task or meeting to the other. By lunchtime, I am so tired and breathing heavily. I am thankful if I complete half the tasks in my list for the day. I give my son a curt nod when he greets me after coming back from his school. I do relax a bit in the evening once most of my tasks are getting checked off from my list for the day. I work late into the evening though to catch up with some extra work that comes my way. It is really a long winding day. I am exhausted but not in a very happy way. I wonder when I can get consistent in my timings. I know I am good at my craft. On the other hand, I know I can really operate at a different/higher level if I am consistent.
The choices we have.
I know it is not easy to be consistent. Life itself is not easy with its twists and turns. Knocks and shocks are waiting around the corner to bring me down. What choice do I have ? It is frustrating. I look around at my role models. I look at LinkedIn. So many successful people, must be with so much consistency that is evident by their accomplishments – implicit and evident explicitly from their sharing on LinkedIn. Words of praise from colleagues, friends, acquaintances, well-wishes and eager-to-please-their-boss subordinates.
Wait a minute, I tell myself. Let me not bog myself down. I remind myself of the great day I had just the day before. I realize everyday is a chance to make my choices and make my choices count inspire of the imperfections. Life is a zig-zag journey say the scriptures and the management gurus. I realize everybody is not a superhero although the tendency on social media is to communicate that one is indeed perfect. There are varying levels of accomplishments for each individual and that’s the beauty of life. I realise I am a work of art in progress, a statue being chiseled, a diamond being polished (or being grown in the lab these days!), an automobile or an instrument being tuned, a meadow being trimmed, a plant growing into a tree. This tuning is continuous.
I have choices that I can exercise to make or break my day. I am running a marathon. A marathon called life. I cannot be hard on myself. I need to be my own well-wisher and best friend. I need to pick myself up everyday. The previous day is gone to eternity. Today, I can start afresh. The morning beckons. The birds chirp hope into my soul. I can get up, walk, run and stop for a while before my journey called another-day-in-my-life continues. I smile and know deep in my heart that things will be alright today. I go to bed contented. Ready for the next day.
Conclusion.
I like to tell myself that every day in life is a like a sinusoidal (in short, sine) wave that we learn in science There are ups and downs but the best choice I can make is to move forward. I don’t know if I’m an optimist but the only thing I know is I’m a survivor in this mighty ocean called life. Life’s undercurrents can slice and dice me but I will be like that daredevil surfer who conquers that next big wave like a duck taking to the water.
Everyday movement in the forward direction is the only choice I believe I can exercise to live a life of dignity, humility, service and fulfilment. I invite you to my point of view. Wish you the best in your roller coaster called life. Don’t be harsh on yourself!
