“Today is the first day to the rest of your life”

We have all heard the phrase “today is the first day of the rest of your life”. Although there is some question on who originally coined the phrase, most sources credit it to Charles Dederich who founded the drug rehab group Synanon in the 1960’s. I felt this was a great first topic for Leadership and Life Lessons for the Rest of Us: a Commonsense Approach.

We are in the first few months of the year and it is not too late for new beginnings. At the start of a new year many of us make resolutions to lose weight, exercise more, improve finances, fix personal relationships, and simply…to be better. On January 1st the resolve is strong and the intentions are good, but unfortunately, for most this resolve fades as we get deeper into the year. There are many reasons for this. We find that we don’t have the time we thought we were going to have. We find other interests or we find that “life just happens”. Something just always seems to get in the way of our goals, but don’t get discouraged. Come up with a solid plan for success now for the rest of the year. Here are some suggestions to start your plan:

1.  Take time to really think about what you want to accomplish – be realistic. Being unrealistic will defeat you before you get started.

2. Write your goals down – make a list. Making a list will help you remember what it was that you were trying to do in the first place. It will also give you something tangible to look at and keep you on track.

3. Share them with someone you trust. By sharing your goals with someone you trust you can get some support. Just make sure you pick a person who will be supportive. A negative person can derail your efforts.

4. Put the list in a prominent place so that you will see it daily. This will help to remind you what must be done.

5. Periodically review your goals and assess your progress – readjust them if necessary. You need to access your progress to see how close you are to accomplishing your goals. As “life just happens” you may need to adjust your goal. Don’t give up, just readjust.

6. Stay focused. Keeping your eyes on the prize will help to keep you motivated. Stay focused on your goal and you will get there.

   This list is not all inclusive and many of you probably have some additions. Feel free to comment and add them. One of my visions for this site is for it to be a place to share leadership and life lessons. Let’s help each other to get better. Remember, today is truly the first day of the rest of your life.