Own Your DAY!
Coaching Tip # 75
The ability to choose, whether it be an action or a thought, is a skill that requires discipline.
Within the 86,400 seconds that tick off every 24 hours, regardless of our circumstances, each of us have an ability to own our day.
To accomplish this, we must learn to interrupt our robotic auto-pilot nature and focus on a responsive approach to the things that matter to each of us.
To own your day first you must declare what matters to you, and equally important, what does not. While this level of awareness and subsequent action sounds easy, it is not. There is a high percentage of people that like to talk about what matters to them but being accountable to those items is a different story.
Let’s work on changing that.
AWARENESS
Take out a piece of paper and create 5 columns. Column 1 are the things that matter to you. Column 2 will be your actions and Column 3, 4 and 5 are meant to help you reinforce this concept
Using 1- or 2-word phrases write down what really matters in Column 1. I have jotted down some examples to get you thinking.
Personal Development, Kindness, Family, Enhancing Your Physical Space, Promotion, Nutrition, Sleep, Exercise, Friendship, Social time, Gratefulness, Creativity, Excellence, Exploration, Significant Other, Finances, Spirituality, Mental health, Fun, Love, Community Involvement. Optimism, Being Present, Accountability, Cooperation, Leadership, Self-Advocacy.
If you are struggling to create your list, take a couple of days and become the observer of what you do and how you feel about what you do. To guide your observation run through a question checklist. Ask how important is this to me and the goals I have?
Review your list and circle the top 2 or 3 highest priorities.
Review your list again and make sure these are the things that really matter to you (not someone else’s expectations of you)
ACTION
Now comes the fun part. Place some actions steps in Column 2 beside your top 2 or 3 things that matter. For example, if finances matters, one action might be making a coffee instead of buying it. If self-advocacy is on your list, an example might be to dial up your courage muscle to speak your point of view. If personal development is on your list, determine and actionize something you want to learn.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Every time you do one of your actions on Day 1, place a checkmark in Column 3. Remember that these checkmarks represent all actions not just the larger ones. Back to our example of finances, you are in the car and normally make a coffee stop – instead you change your driving route. This is a conscious thought that helps you own your day. You are in control of that choice and that is a WIN. Put a checkmark in that column. Reinforce your behavior, celebrate your taking charge.
Do this for 2 more days. After 3 days, notice what is different.
The journey of owning your day never ends. Awareness, actions, and acknowledgement are the critical 3 steps to your staying power.