When making food choices, I sometimes pretend that today doesn’t count. I’m out of town or I’m celebrating or I’m with friends, etc. So I tell myself that today’s choices are somehow null and void and I’ll pick up my “right choice thinking” tomorrow. (Click here to read another post on this.)
What I am realizing is I periodically have this “today doesn’t count” attitude in other areas. Not all, though. For example, I always choose to brush my teeth and take a shower. (Aren’t you glad?) And in homeschooling, I know every day counts and organize each school year accordingly. I allow for 180 days of schooling and use an accommodating curriculum. That’s not to say we are rigid. This year we started two weeks early so we could take a two-week vacation in September. I planned for it because I know the choices I make today (every day) will affect tomorrow’s outcomes.
However I am not as disciplined in all areas of life. Therefore I must pause to consider if I give the most important areas proper attention on a daily basis. Or do I take this “today doesn’t count” attitude more often than I should? The choices I make today, whether deliberate and prayer-filled or impulsive and whimsical, will affect tomorrow and the next day and the next. There is a cumulative effect. The person I am next week, month, and year is a direct result of the minor decisions I make today. And, to further complicate matters, there is a trickledown effect. I, in fact, do not live in a bubble—my attitude, knowledge, and disposition rub off on those around me. The most effective way to teach my children self-discipline is to model it.
So which areas require daily cultivation in an intentional manner? I suggest you ask God to show you. For me, the list includes (but is not limited to): Bible reading, prayer, physical well-being, and relationships—with God, my husband, my children, my church family, and friends.
In which areas of life do you sometimes take a “today doesn’t count” attitude?
Will you prayerfully consider making a change today?
In the Midst . . . 
This is exactly what I am learning… to be intentional about everything in my day (that I have control over). I’m a big picture kind of person, and can get frustrated with incremental progress. But this is how the world turns… one second at a time, one decision at a time, one obedient action at a time, one discipline at a time. Thanks, Barb! A great reminder!
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Thanks for chiming in! I appreciate your comment!
We need both types of people in the world – big picture & detail-oriented. My husband is the visionary in our household. 😉 But of course, those visions can’t take place unless we take the small steps necessary to complete them.
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Great post and so true…today does count…I am often too lazy and tired to make it count. Need to think making it count each morning. Pray does help get this in order
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Thanks for commenting, Mama! I have to admit tiredness and laziness contributes to my “today doesn’t count” attitude at times.
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It’s easy to get that way – thinking today doesn’t count, isn’t it? I’ve only recently developed the habit of setting short-term and long-term goals. One of the things I’ve discovered is that I need to work each day if I want to reach my goals – don’t know why it took so long to find out!
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I’m finding the older I get the more there is to learn. 😉 Glad you are open to discovering new ways to “do life” – including goal-setting.
Thanks for stopping by and joining in the conversation. 🙂
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