“If I lived everyday the way I lived today… what kind of future would I create?”

~ Entrepreneur Magazine

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Ask Yourself This Question Every Night

In looking for material to share with those of you wanting to have more influence in the experience of life you create, I came across an article in Entrepreneur. The title was certainly intriguing. It was called, “The Seven Insanely Productive Habits of Successful Young Entrepreneurs.” While I’m not sure “insane” is necessarily an adjective we want to use to describe our habits, I was impressed by several of the suggestions. One in particular, however, stuck out, and I have chosen to feature it in this week’s quote, comment, and video. Interestingly enough, it was in the form of a suggestion, or a suggested question, really, that we can use to become more aware of whether the life we are creating is indeed the life we want. It said,

The question to ask each night before you go to bed: If I live every day the same way I did today, what kind of future would that create?

Now, we must be very careful (full of care) with how we respond to this question, because if we determine that the way we lived today IS NOT what we want our future to look like, the tendency will be to become rather worried, or stressed. While this is understandable, I suggest we not respond to bad news with bad feelings, and instead, see the awareness that the question brings to mind as good information.

In other words, it will be important to keep in mind that this isn’t about criticizing ourselves for “creating a bad day” or trying to use our worry and fear as a way to create the future. Instead, it is an opportunity to become more purposeful and powerful in how we create our lives as we go forward. For those of you who follow my “Life from the Top of the Mind” philosophy, you know that the parts of the brain that think about the future are the frontal lobes, which are part of the neocortex. Therefore, we want to ensure that we have a vision of the life we want to create (which starts with who we are) and recognize that each day, (really each moment) is a part of the creative process. (Remember the quote from Albert Einstein that says, “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.”)

Of course, for some, the tendency when asking this question will be to look at the situations they found themselves in as the problem, and see these as what needs to change. And, it is possible that there is value in this awareness. However, I suggest we start first in the area of our life over which we have the most influence, which are the qualities and characteristics we bring to life.

For example, are we being a way we want to be in the future, regardless of the situations in which we find ourselves? Are we taking care of ourselves as we would take care of someone we loved? Or, are we simply surviving versus thriving, doing what we have always done out of habit and hoping that one day something will change?

If the answer is the latter, I suggest we begin to look at life as an opportunity to define who we are in a way we would teach and or recommend to someone we love, and then begin to create our experience of life in a way that is congruent with this definition. In other words, how can we go into our morning in a more purposeful manner? What about “rebooting” around lunch and going into the afternoon clear about the qualities and behaviors we want to practice, and then again on the drive home, or at dinner, rebooting once again as we go into the evening?

Once we are clear about who we want to be now and in the future, we can begin to look at the circumstances of our life to see if they are indeed congruent with this self-definition. Of course, this is easier said than done, and if you would like some help with this process, feel free to contact me, because, one of the ways I create my days (so that each day represents what I want my future to look like) is by helping people become more purposeful in the lives that they are creating, and I would love to help you, your family, and/or your organization do the same.

Take care and God bless, Dr. Bill