What have I done today that moves me toward my goal? This vital question should be uppermost in your mind. It will help you focus on what you are actually doing to move yourself forward. Notice the wording,”What have I done.” It puts the emphasis where it should be. It is not what has someone else done to help me. It is not who is to blame for my current situation.

            What means exactly what; be specific. It is asking for specific steps that you took, not steps you thought about taking and not those you wished you had taken. Today means the preceding twenty-four hours or at least those you were awake. Toward is an important direction. We often take many steps that move us away from our goal. We sabotage ourselves. We daydream. We waste time. We are negative. We play the blame game or we play the victim role

            None of this matters if you are not specific about your goal or goals. What do you want to achieve? Make it specific. You must be able to measure it. Make it reasonable. It must be possible given your resources of time, money, and abilities. It must be time oriented. It must provide a reasonable challenge. If it is too difficult or too easy you will stop working toward it. I must also be important to you. If you don’t care then what difference does it make?

            This question jumped out at me years ago in remarks made by former University of Alabama and Kentucky football coach Bill Curry. It goes right to the heart of the matter. Do not let a day go by without asking yourself this question and spending some quality time answering it honestly. What you did or did not do yesterday does not matter. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not arrived. What you plan to do tomorrow does not matter. You may or may not do it. We all know about good intentions. It is today that matters.

Tags: actions, Curry, goal, question, today