Live in Day-tight Compartments

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to be a part of a fantastic Dale Carnegie "refresher" training.  Our fearless leader, Ercell Charles, gave us all a better understanding of what these principles can mean to our lives.  As my fellow trainer, Laurie, said, "principles are our friends."  They keep us accountable to the values we hold dear.  Ercell also explained that while the "How to Win Friends" principles are for building relationships with others, the "How to Stop Worrying" principles allow us to turn the focus to ourselves.  When we learn to manage our stress and worry, we will finally be ready to build the relationships we so desire.  And so, for the next 30 weeks we will stop worrying and start living!

I am the first to admit that "living in day-tight compartments" is not my strong suit. Don't get me wrong, I talk a good talk about the importance of living "one day at a time" but many times my walk doesn't quite keep up. My Type A personality prefers to be planned and prepared.  Lets face it, there's a reason I landed a job with the word "Coordinator" in the title!

On the other hand, I know that this principle could have a significant influence on my life if fully embraced.  And so I try, try again.  One way that I have been attempting to live this principle for the past six months is by keeping a "one sentence happiness journal."  This journal, courtesy of Gretchen Rubin's "Happiness Project," is a daily reminder to find the good in each day.  Every night before I climb into bed, I write a few sentences about a moment that brought me joy during that day.  I don't think about yesterday.  I don't think about tomorrow.  I only focus on today. 

The challenge going forward is carrying that mentality from the moment I wake up until the time I shut out the lights.  As Charles Schulz said, "Life is like an ice-cream cone, you have to lick it one day at a time."