With patients, I often make the statement that my goal over time is to make an individual's current life match their ideal life.
There’s a tool in life coaching called perfect day. This is where you sit and journal what a perfect day looks like to you. If you’re in a phase of life where you’re constantly exhausted, your version of a perfect day may just be getting away and relaxing. Most working people fantasize about not working and what they think retirement will look like. Most people have a sensation of being overwhelmed with the demands of life. We’re all “busy.”
The purpose of a perfect enough day is trying to live your values on a more consistent basis. Instead of thinking of it as a perfect enough day, better wording might just be a good day. Dan John has stated, “If something is important to you, try to do it every day.” What are the things you need on a daily basis to make it a good day? Try to figure out a couple of things that if you do it daily you know you’ll have a good day.
If I get a workout in and read for 15 minutes, that’s a good enough day for personal development. If I get to spend 10 minutes a day training my dog, that’s a good enough day with my dog. If I get to read to my sons and tell them I love them, that’s a good enough day with my kids. If my wife and I actually get to sit down for 20 minutes and talk one on one and I can do one thing to help my wife, that’s a good enough day with my wife. If I get to help 1 patient or person per day, that’s a good enough day of work. If I get to sit and thank God for the blessings he’s provided me, that’s a good enough day with God. If I get all of these things in 1 day, that’s a perfect enough day. What I’ve noticed is that if I can connect a lot of perfect enough days in a row, I feel better.
I would love to do more of all of these things, but there’s a thing called time in a day, and I don’t have any more than anyone else. Would I love to have more time in my day to be spiritually connected, yes. Would I love to have more uninterrupted time with my wife and kids, yes. Would I love to have more time to serve others, yes. Would I love to have more time to read, think, write and workout, yes. The reality is I only have so much time in a day, so I do what I can.
The reason I speak on my personal experience is because at times I needed to look at someone else's template and customize it to my own situation. I encourage you to think about what things you need on a daily basis to make it a perfect enough day for you. You are not me, and the only value in this exercise is meeting your value needs on a consistent basis.
To start, consider what your primary values are. Start with 1-3 things. Most people I’ve asked the question to will say some variant of faith, family, community, their job, or their hobbies. Ask the question what is an objective thing I can do to ensure I’m connecting with that value on a daily basis. Then what is the minimum amount of time I need to commit to the task to make it seem like it’s improving over time.
Write it out, post it on your bathroom mirror, then do it. Over time, I hope this helps you feel better too.
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