The one day at time approach is associated with recovering from addictions but it can be used in many other situations. It may be followed by individuals who pursue a certain path or work towards a specific goal.
The approach starts by a person deciding on their destination. This can involve them focusing on:
A state of being – such as being healthy, being kind or being at peace;
A specific goal – such as a personal aim, a positive legacy or a picture of success.
The person may then make a specific action plan. They may focus on how they can do their best each day, each week and each time period on the way towards their chosen destination.
Doing Your Best One Day At A Time
This approach is followed by people in many fields. They may aim to pursue a spiritual faith, follow certain habits or achieve a goal.
Virat Kohli, the captain of the India cricket team, takes this approach when aiming to improve himself and the team. Here is a summary of his philosophy.
“We aim to do our best and keep improving one day at a time.”
Different people follow this approach in different ways. Some create mantras they aim to follow on the way towards achieving their aims. This can involve taking the following steps.
Looking back, can you think of a time when you followed elements of this approach? This could have been in your personal or professional life.
You may have done this when recovering from an illness, helping a person to get through a crisis or when tackling a challenge. You may have applied it when working towards a long-term goal.
How did you make action plans for each day? How did you encourage yourself on the journey? How did you get short-term successes? How did you continue to work towards the long-term picture of success?
During my early career I worked with recovering addicts who focused on staying healthy one day at a time. Since then I have worked with many caring people, creative artists and peak performers who have taken a similar approach.
Such people often focus on one principle where they want to do their best. They may aim:
To be encouraging one day at a time … To help one patient at a time … To write one page at a time.
They may find that following their mantra in one area has a knock on effect. They may begin to improve in other areas of their life. They may also recognise the philosophy that:
The journey is the destination and the destination is the journey.
One person had their mantra written on the palm of their hand and aimed to follow this each day. They kept looking at the mantra and translating it into action. They found this to be more helpful than paying lots of money to a therapist.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Looking ahead, can you think of area of your life where you would like to follow elements of this approach? How can you do this in your own way?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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