“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” -- Abraham Lincoln

“One day at a time- this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.” -- Ida Scott Taylor

You are upset with something that happened yesterday.  You’re worried about the future.  You feel overwhelmed with how much you have to do.  There are problems you don’t know how to handle.  You have to make some decisions and you are not sure what to do.

All of these situations have a cumulative effect, resulting in lots of anxiety.  So what can you do?  Is there a way for you to make life more manageable, especially when things seem to be spiraling out of control?

When you feel overloaded, you are trying to deal with too much at once.  Things are much more manageable when you break them down into separate components.  When you try to handle everything at once, you often don’t know what to do first and so you can wind up doing nothing at all.

It’s as if you are attempting to lift a large basket filled with bricks.  It is just too heavy.  You will exhaust yourself trying to move it.  Lifting one brick at a time however is easily manageable.  Using this approach, you can easily move all the bricks.

So, now lets remove some bricks from your basket.  Begin with the bricks that contain any issues from the past.  The past is over.  It can not be changed.  You can learn from the past but you can’t alter it.  The past is a seminar you have taken.  Make note of what worked and what didn’t.  You don’t want to repeat the same mistakes.  You do want to replicate successes.

The next bricks to eliminate are those that involve worries about the future.  Worry is a complete waste of time and energy.  You will never achieve anything by worrying.  To make matters worse, any time spent worrying takes away from the time you have available for dealing with today. 

Once you have removed the bricks of the past and the bricks of the future, your load will be substantially lightened.  Now you can concentrate on the bricks for today.  You can divide the remaining bricks into two categories: those issues you have no control over and those things you can have an impact on.  Remove all of the bricks that you have no control over.

Next, are there any problems that you can’t resolve today?  If so, take them out of the basket.  Are there any decisions that don’t have to be made today?  Again, if yes, remove them from your basket.  The only bricks left in your basket are those that you can deal with today.

Now your load has been drastically reduced and is much more manageable.  You should feel better already.  All of your efforts can be focused on those items that require immediate attention today. Only give your attention to those bricks that remain.  Your main objective is to get through today. 

The way you respond to the remaining bricks is by making decisions and taking action.  Worrying about today is just as pointless as worrying about the future.  Remember, either take action or let it go.

Get into the habit of dealing with one day at a time.  You will be less stressed, a better problem solver, and more productive.  Each day is a new beginning with unlimited possibilities.

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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or write him c/o this paper.  2008 Bryan Golden

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