Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life
Out of the blue, this sentence came to me. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” I can’t remember where I read it from. After pondering over this quote for days, I learned 4 ways it can help us deal with the tedium and stressors of life.
Of course, it may not do anything for you if you’re depressed. It may even be nightmarish, especially if you woke up dreading to do the day’s deeds. (Trust me, I know how it feels.) Still, I’ll encourage you to read on, whichever mood you’re in.
A chance to let go of mental pain
Our past is a source of lessons and fond memories, but our past also contains a truckload of baggage. So often, we’re bogged down by bad memories – memories of the times you were bullied as a child, the times you failed something, the time you made a decision you now know is a mistake.
Maybe you have a less-than-stellar opinion of yourself. Or maybe your parents were never supportive. These things have a way of snowballing over the years, shaping our esteems and our paths.
Whatever it is, today is the first day of the rest of your life. Can we let go of what’s past, and release all that nasty baggage? I think we should all try. Old scars, grudges, and feuds are happiness-suckers. Self-criticism is toxic.
Today, we’re “born again”. Do we want those things bogging our minds down? Let them go. It won’t go away all at once. So try again tomorrow and the day after. If we don’t start letting go, we never will.
Maybe it can inject a little zest into your life
Think about a trip you were very excited to take. How did you feel on the first day of the trip? Did you feel excited? Alive? Happy? Motivated?
Day-to-day life has a way of killing our enthusiasm for life. Sometimes life feels like a cycle of working, paying bills, eating, cleaning, screentime, and sleeping; with social media sprinkled generously throughout.
It’s easy to get caught up in the tedium of it all and get either apathetic. depressed, or overwhelmed.
However, if you consider the fact that today is the first day of the rest of your life, it may help to create just a touch of motivation.
We always assume our days will turn out the same, and we often associate routine as boring. But sameness isn’t always a bad thing, it’s bad when it bores you or fills you with dread.
In truth, each day is a gift. Each day is a chance for us to discover simple, magical moments out of life. Besides, life offers possibilities.
Recently, I read Humans of New York’s stunning 32-post story about Stephanie. If you haven’t read it, I recommend you read it because it’s a fascinating journey. Stephanie mentioned that following a fall that left her unable to walk, she thought everything that’s supposed to happen to her has already happened. Until Brandon came along, and she was given this chance to have one last “gig”.
Together, they raised $2.65 million.
While that type of encounter probably won’t happen to us – and that’s okay, it’s an example of how life is a wildcard. Today, I can embark on a new hobby that flourishes into a passion, or I can start meditating and creating a space for tranquility in my life. Maybe I’ll meet a friend who will change everything I thought I knew about life. Who knows.
A day is full of possibilities, we only think it isn’t.
It’s a second chance to do something you wanted to do but never did
If you’re not enthusiastic about life and the possibilities don’t faze you, consider a brand new day as a second chance to do something you’ve always wanted to do. We have a chance to live it, cherish it, and change it.
We don’t always get a chance to do something. Some people never get to reconcile their relationship with a loved one even though they wanted to. Before they knew it, one of them had run out of time.
When you consider today is the first day of the rest of your life, it sort of resets your mindset. Given a “new start”, you have another chance to do something you didn’t do yesterday. What would it be?
If there’s something bothering you, can you resolve it?
Similarly, if you didn’t accomplish something today, don’t be disheartened. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Rome wouldn’t be built if someone didn’t start building it.
You’ll get another chance tomorrow. Well, we usually do, until we don’t.
“The rest of your life” is an unknown length of time
“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”
There will be a day when you don’t get to say that anymore. Being alive is weird. It always feels like we’ll have time tomorrow, or next month, and even next year. We let ourselves stay bored, trap ourselves in situations while we dream about an escape, while time slips through our fingers.
I guess it’s easy to take life for granted after waking up tens of thousands of times.
I’ve woken up more than 12,410 times to a brand new day, why should I think I won’t wake up tomorrow? It almost makes us complacent. But death comes for all of us eventually. It bears remembering, not to scare ourselves into paranoia, but to remind ourselves that our time here is limited.
A few days ago, I came across the tweet of a young writer who has been battling cancer. His doctor told him he probably only has a week left. It’s heartbreaking. But such is life. Without death, life won’t be possible.
As I’m writing this, he’s living his last days on earth. I don’t even know him, don’t even remember his name, but my heart hurts for him and his family.
The next time you wake up, remind yourself that each new day is a gift not only because a day brings possibilities, but also because life can end on any day. We shouldn’t assume that there’ll always be 10,000 more tomorrows.
When you wake up tomorrow, take a deep breathe before you check social media or your email. Remember that some people don’t get the gift of “today”.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life, and none of us know how long the rest of our life is.
So cherish it, and think about what you want to do with this precious gift.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my “revelations” from this notion that today is the first day of the rest of your life.
What are your thoughts about them? Do you consider a new day as the first day of the rest of your life? Do you feel like you’re living and not just existing? Or the other way around? Let me know!
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