“Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” ― Seneca

You might not be aware of this, but much of what you place your hopes on is something that can only be realized in the future: the attainment of your sales target, the completion of your book, the move to a new country, the purchase of a new home, the start of a new career. 

All these are incredible accomplishments and aspects of our life that we must be proud of.

But if you’re not careful, you might slip into the cracks and live the entirety of your days obsessed with their attainment. 

This can become intoxicating. 

You’ll end up attaching your self-worth and sense of fulfillment onto a future result that might not be realized because you don’t have complete control over it. You’ll live your today solely focused on tomorrow. 

You’ll be the rabbit chasing the carrot.

A big part of this behavior stems from our society’s misunderstanding of what happiness is. We believe that happiness is an “if-then” or “when-then” proposition: If I find love, I’ll be happy. If I get that job offer, I’ll be happy. When I publish my book, I’ll be happy. When I move into my new apartment, I’ll be happy. So we end up living our lives in a future state of mind that is completely detached from the present. 

The reality is this: Happiness is not a destination you can arrive at, happiness is a mindset that is born from the conscious embrace of our life as it is: Happiness is the way.

Also, while it’s incredibly important to have ambitious goals that we must work toward, it’s not healthy to attach our gratification to a single moment that is far removed into the future.

That is why I now live by this philosophy:

One day at a time.

I know exactly where I want to be in a year or two, but I will only focus my attention on today. I will live one day at a time, and do what I can today because that’s the only phase of time that I can control. 

Yesterday is gone, so why would I spend my energy ruminating over it? I’ll learn what I can from it and I’ll cherish what I loved, but yesterday is behind me. What about the future you ask? The future is an abstraction, it does not yet exist. I could obsess about my dreams and goals, but if I don’t take action today I will never be able to reach them. 

What you do at this very moment is what will go on to define what the next moment will be. And whether you accept it or not, you are consciously (or unconsciously) creating your future.

This philosophy is built on one question:

What can I do today, one day at a time, that will move me one step closer to my goals?

If your goal is to publish a book, then you can spend one hour today writing. Do that for the next 12 months and you have yourself a book.

If your goal is to close your sales target before the end of the month, then you can spend one hour today sending an extra five prospecting emails. Do that for the next 30 days and you’ve just tripled your chances of closing more deals.

One day at a time. That’s the way to live.

We do have the power to transform our life, but we can only do it one day at a time. 

This is what James Clear explained in Atomic Habits: “Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.” It’s what Darren Hardy describes in The Compound Effect: “Small, seemingly insignificant steps completed consistently over time” that will compound to create a radical difference in the future. 

How to Apply The One Day at a Time Philosophy to Your Life

The ‘One Day at a Time’ philosophy can have a profound impact on your life. 

Imagine investing a short amount of time, every single day, doing what you love. Where will you be in three months? In a year? In five years?

You will be exactly where you want: Living the reality of what once was a dream—and you can be sure of it because you are consciously creating it today. 

You will be an author because you are writing every day today and you continue to do it, one day at a time. You will be a Spanish speaker because you are learning an hour of Spanish every day today and you continue to do it, one day at a time.

The premise of the ‘One Day at a Time’ philosophy is this:

Consciously invest a small amount of time into what you love every day, one day at a time, and the cumulative effect of those days will naturally lead you where you want to be.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Choose one area of your life you want to excel in.

2. Choose a set amount of time per day you want to dedicate to it. 

3. Project forward into the future how much progress you would have made if you invested the time, every day, for three months, one year, five years.

There’s a famous quote from Charlie Brown, a fictional character created by cartoonist Charles Schulz:

“I have a new philosophy. I’m only going to dread one day at a time.”

Again, it reminds us that all we have control over is this very day. We can be wasteful by draining all our energy and emotions on the worrying of what tomorrow might bring, or we can reorient our focus and energy on what we can bring to our today. 

Learn to live one day at a time and it will bring more joy, clam, productivity, and happiness into your life.

Create a Domino Effect

This ‘One Day at a Time’ philosophy is what I fall back to when I begin to feel anxious about the future. It is my rock when the storm of worrying about the financial struggles of entrepreneurship or the imposter syndrome of writing creeps in.

I remind myself to slow down and live one day at a time and knowing that I’ve done what I can today helps me live with less worry, stress, and self-inflicted pressure.

There’s a Latin saying that goes by “Vires Acquires Eundo”, meaning:

“We gather strength as we go”.

We gather strength one day at a time. 

We sail across the sea one day at a time. 

We create a domino effect in our lives one day at a time.

The ‘One Day at a Time’ Philosophy will create magic in your life.

So I leave you with this question:

What can you do today, one day at a time, that will move you one step closer to your goals?