NdukuOutLoud

On appreciating the present and getting things done.

Daily writing prompt

If you had to give one life-changing tip, what would it be?

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The funny thing about tips is that they only become life-changing if we take them and actually practice them. And not just tips—even books. I have read my share of self-help books, and the more I read, the more I realize how similar they are. How most of the advice is just the same, only clothed in different grammar and examples.

Either because there really is not much that is new to say in the world, or because life is truly not that complicated and we just have to master a few core things to help us participate fully in our lives and in other people’s lives. And if you have read any self-help books, you know they are entirely full of tips.

The catch with ideas and tips is that they are never one-size-fits-all. Some may work wonders for me and make absolutely no sense to the person next to me—and vice versa. The trick then becomes finding the ones that work for us and letting go of those that do not, then committing fully and wholly to the ones that do.

How do we find out the ones that work? By working them. By doing the thing they suggest, iterating on it a few times, making sure it didn’t work, and then moving on to another—because yes, there are plenty of ways to get things done.

I cannot claim expertise in this “life thing.” I cannot stand before a group of people, or even just one person, and claim to have all the answers. I don’t. I am also just trying things out to find the ones that fit.

But if there is one tip that has genuinely changed my life, it is this:

“Don’t leave for tomorrow what can be handled today.”

I have applied this to small things—like getting my clothes ready the night before, sending that message I’ve been putting off, or hitting publish on a blog post even when I don’t feel quite ready to put my thoughts out there. I’ve also applied it to big things—like finishing a task I desperately wish I didn’t have to do, or sending the email that might brush its recipient the wrong way.

It is not the only thing I have been doing differently lately, so I cannot attribute all my recent personal growth entirely to this single tip. But it has contributed a great deal to the little I have been able to achieve over the past few months.

There are countless tips and ideas out there that highlight the need and importance of staying in the present—of making the most of the time we have. Because tomorrow is never promised, and when it does arrive, it always brings its own share of worries.

So, let today be today. Do what can be done, say what needs to be said, and let tomorrow worry about itself.