In 2021, give yourself the gift of the perfect day.
Early into pandemic, I stumbled into something that changed the course of most of 2020. I discovered The Perfect Day.
What’s the perfect day?
The perfect day is all the ingredients that go into setting yourself up for success every day.
In life, we fixate so much on goals and big plans, but often forget about the foundation that we need to create those goals and dreams. That’s where the perfect day comes in.
When we start a new project at work, we first establish a plan for what we need and then figure out all the ingredients that go into optimizing for success. We set goals and KPIs to measure our effectiveness. We assemble the team. Build out our rail charts and timelines. Establish a budget and lastly, create accountability for how we are going to make sure this gets done on time, on budget and gets done well.
In the world of self-help and mindset methods, we often neglect the most important plan of all: the one that primes our mind, body and spirit to support all the other outcomes that are important to us.
Particularly for those who are wired to be nurturers or caregivers (most often women), we usually take care of ourselves last. We often take care of ourselves at the end of the day when everything else is “done.” When we can “squeeze in” those few moments of self-care or that workout routine.
This method has us starting the day unbalanced right out of the gate!
Then we have to work harder throughout the day to keep ourselves focused and on course because our own needs have not been met yet.
It’s like the flight attendants tell us: put on your own mask before assisting other passengers.
In life, we don’t usually think about taking care of ourselves this way. We establish beliefs about “being selfish”, “not giving enough” or some other story that we use to explain why we haven’t taken care of our spirits.
The solution is to create your perfect day.
Here are the 10 steps that I use to help get my mind, body and spirit right every day:Awareness
Start formulating what you think you need for your perfect day. Start noticing what makes you feel the best. (ex: getting a workout in, drinking your coffee, tea or green juice, scheduling quiet time…)
Think about it and then physically write it down.
Here’s my list from when I got started:
My Perfect Day today looks a little bit different than it did when I started – your list will evolve as you refine what you need.CommitmentBe really kind to yourselfDouble downCreate SpaceGet moving!PreparationNotice how you feelMindsetChoose what you want for the day
This life is a gift. And this new year is a new opportunity to give yourself something that you never knew you needed: Your perfect day.
