Dare to live without limits Week of 9/30/19

What you do today impacts tomorrow

A common theme in science fiction time travel stories is, “If you could go back in time and make a different decision, you would change the future.” Obviously, it’s impossible to change the past, but you can shape your future based on what you do today.
Today is the day which matters. You never wake up tomorrow. You always wake up today. The decisions you make, and action you take today, determine your future. If you want things to change, you have to change them. If you want a situation to improve, you have to take the appropriate action.
Waiting for a situation to improve is a passive, ineffective approach to life. Action put off until some point in the future never happens. It’s only what you do today which impacts tomorrow. Stop worrying and take action.
The decisions you make today impact every aspect of your life. Your physical health, emotional well-being, career, finances, knowledge, skills, abilities, and the quality of your relationships, are all affected by what you do now.
Exercise and diet determine your physical well-being. This takes effort and discipline. Improvements don’t happen by themselves. Intention without action is useless. If you are not happy with your current physical state, you must be willing to start doing what it takes to make changes.
Stress and worry erode your emotional well-being. Unfortunately, too many people do this on a daily basis. They then experience additional stress over how bad they feel. It’s an endless cycle, until you decide to put an end to it.
Stress and worry are reduced or eliminated by taking positive action. Instead of worrying about what will happen in the future, take the steps necessary now to make things happen. Don’t conjure up excuses for why you can’t, or won’t make these changes. Instead, formulate reasons why you can, and will do what’s required to improve your emotional state.
You are in charge of your career. Whether you work for someone else or yourself, your actions today determine where you are headed. Having a standard of excellence, by being the best you can be, pays big dividends.
Invest in yourself through education. Seek to expand your knowledge, skills, and abilities each day. Knowledge is what you know. Skills are what you can do. And abilities are how well you can apply your skills and knowledge. The better you are at what you do, the more in demand you will be.
Your income, expenses, and savings are the essential components of your financial well-being. It doesn’t matter how much you are making if your expenses exceed your income. When this occurs, you are constantly struggling to make ends meet.
Your expenses should be low enough below your income so that you can live comfortably. This is known as living below your means. If your expenses are already minimized, and you are still struggling, then concentrate on the steps necessary to increase your income.
Your savings are your freedom funds. They enable you to deal with financial emergencies along with preparing for retirement. Regardless of your current financial situation, you can take steps today to earn more, spend less, and contribute to your savings.
Good relationships with a significant other, family, and friends require constant care and attention on a regular basis. Improving any relationship which is lacking involves extra effort. Make sure you devote part of each day to caring for the relationships which are important to you.
Every day, take whatever positive action is necessary to enhance the good in your life, while also taking corrective action to fix whatever problems you are facing. Always remember that what you do today impacts tomorrow.

NOW AVAILABLE: "Dare to Live Without Limits," the book. Visit www.BryanGolden.com or your bookstore. Bryan is a management consultant, motivational speaker, author, and adjunct professor. E-mail Bryan at bryan@columnist.com or write him c/o this paper.  2019 Bryan Golden