How many times have you said, “One day, I’m going to do this big, amazing thing!” Or thought, “One day, I’ll finally start that diet and fitness routine. One day, I’ll quit my job and pursue my dream.”
We all have grand visions of the magical mystery of “One day” when we’ll suddenly transform into our best selves and accomplish everything we’ve been meaning to do. Well, today’s the day to kick that lazy, abstract “One day” thinking to the curb!
The motivational quote “One day or Day one – You decide” perfectly captures the choice we face. Will we keep passively dreaming of “One Day” or actively commit to taking back our power and starting day one TODAY? Let’s break it down.
One Day or Day One – The Meaning
“One day” represents a dangerous procrastination mindset. It’s that vague someday in the future when conditions will somehow be perfect for us to finally do the things we want. “Day one,” on the other hand, is all about starting now – taking immediate action and ownership to move towards goals on this very day.
The quote is a call to action. We alone get to choose whether today is “one day” in the abstract future or whether we actually make the decision to make today “day one” of pursuing our dreams!
Why “One Day” is a Dream Killer
Always thinking in terms of “one day” is detrimental for many reasons:
- It justifies laziness and putting things off. There’s no urgency if one day is always ahead of us.
- Important goals never materialize as we endlessly defer action to some fictional future day.
- We stay stuck in our dissatisfying status quo instead of taking steps to change.
Here’s the cold, hard truth: one day never just magically arrives. Things will never be perfect. The time for action is NOW. One Day” thinking just steals time, motivation, and ultimately, fulfillment.
Take Your Life Off “Someday-I-Will” Mode
If you notice your life operating on the abstract “one day” setting, here are strategies to shift yourself into active “day one” mode:
- Get super clear on your big-picture goals – dream big! Then, break them down into small, concrete steps.
- Trick yourself by saying, “I’m just starting day one as an experiment for now,” rather than declaring major life changes.
- Tell a friend or accountability partner about your day-one plan to build in external motivation.
- Notice “One Day” thoughts as they occur and reframe them. “Nope, today’s the day!”
Turn Your Dreams into Your New Day One
Got huge dreams? Awesome! Now, figure out what realistic first steps can start you on the day one path.
- Dream of writing a book? Commit to writing one page today.
- Dream of starting a nonprofit? Make a list of potential names and mission statements.
Give yourself permission to think big, but start small. Celebrate minor progress wins that will build momentum.
The Only Bad Day is Giving Up
Here’s the thing – no matter how “ready” we feel, day one will always be challenging. There will be missteps, failures, obstacles. But the only real failure is allowing those setbacks to defeat us.
Any day we make an effort is NEVER a bad day. Try reframing days where things go wrong:
- “This was an important learning day.”
- “I’m proud of myself for showing up even though it was hard.”
- “Progress isn’t linear. I’ll bounce back tomorrow.”
Repeat Day Ones until They Stick
If you’ve tried to start day one before and it didn’t stick, know that this is normal! Change is rarely easy or immediate. The key is to stubbornly repeat day ones until the new habit feels normal.
Keep restarting day one with these tactics:
- Review what went wrong last time and make changes.
- Really pump yourself up emotionally to power through barriers.
- Tell yourself, “If I can make it through the first week, it will get easier.”
- Focus on compounding small progress versus big overnight success.
It’s Never Too Late for Day One
No matter how old you are or how long you’ve been putting something off, day one is always possible. There are examples everywhere of people who changed their lives and started major new journeys well into adulthood:
- Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book at age 65.
- Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s at age 53.
- Julia Child began cooking at age 39.
It’s truly never too late to reinvent yourself. You decide when your day one begins!
Choose Progress Over Perfection
When we keep waiting for the perfect day one moment, it never comes, and we risk never starting. Focus on incremental progress rather than demanding perfection.
Silence your inner critic and remind yourself:
- Something done half-well still moves me forward.
- Doing it badly is better than being paralyzed.
- Progress compounds when I string enough day ones together.
Take Back Your Power – Commit to Day One
At the end of the day, we have to take complete ownership over CHOOSING to make today day one. We alone decide to take action versus wasting time on the fictional “one day.” We control our mindset and attitude.
Committing to day one means believing in yourself and your power to actively shape your life path starting now. No more waiting for “one day” – YOU declare today day one!
Wake Up and Start Your Day One
Establish morning rituals that will become ingrained habits setting you up for day one mentality:
- Before your feet hit the floor, take 60 seconds to get centered and focused.
- Say out loud: “Today is MY day one!”
- Visualize yourself actively pursuing your goals. See your dreams as already real.
When you start the day intentionally priming yourself for action, you set the tone for making consistent progress.
Conclusion
The choice is yours. Will you keep passively existing in “one day” mode? Or decide TODAY is your day one?
Your time is now – claim it.
Believe in yourself. Take the first step, and don’t look back. The power lies with you.
Make today your day one!
