Seize the Day

By Craig Harper

G'day Groovers. Happy Thursday! Today is an amazing day because it's the first, last and only July 17, 2008 that you and I will ever have. Ever! I'm pretty excited about that. So perhaps you and I should make the most of this once-in-a-life-time day. Waddya think? I'm up for it. Yes, it kinda looks, feels and smells like other days but that's just our mind getting in the way of our possibilities. Again.

Change-Your-Life Thursday


Sure we've had lots of Thursdays before but we've never had this Thursday have we? Imagine wasting another day. And another opportunity. And a bit more of our potential. Or even, wasting a life. As if we'd ever do that. That's not how you and I are wired is it? In many ways, today could be spectacular and unique if we choose to make it that. It could be a defining day for us. A life-changing day. It could be a cross-road where we stop and make that turn we should have made years ago. Or it could be just another typical Thursday. Before another typical Friday. In another typical life.

It's a Choice

"But Craig, it's Thursday and I don't really do spectacular or amazing on Thursdays. I usually save spectacular for special occasions. Christmas or maybe New Year. At the very least, it's gotta be a Monday. Definitely not a Thursday. Besides, I'm busy. Today's not so good for me. I wasn't really planning on doing or being anything special today. I thought I'd take a quick peek at your site and then continue on with my average, not-particularly-special day. Just like every other Thursday. I didn't really expect this kind of full frontal assault. My head's not really in the right place at the moment and to be honest, I'm not feeling that great. And I'm kinda busy. Did I mention that already? And my therapist said I should pace myself and not to put myself under too much pressure while I work through my issues. Anyway, if a good or bad day (and life) is determined by 'me' then who can I blame and get mad at for all those bad days I have? You know that blaming and getting mad is healthy right?"

What if...

A great day is not about what happens to us or around us on a given day, but about what we do on that day (today). The decisions we make (and don't make), the mindset we adopt, our conscious behaviours and how we deal with the events of that day.

"It's not what happens that matters, it's how we react to what happens that matters. "

It's about the attitude we consciously take into every situation, circumstance and conversation for that day. I can have a great day every day by choice. Even on a Thursday. The quality of my day will not be determined by things over which I have no control. I can't control what other people think, say or do. I can't control the weather. I can't control most of what happens around me. I can't change what happened yesterday, last month or last decade but I can change how I let that affect me today. The quality of my day will be determined by me. Today will be a good day because that's my choice.

An Opportunity

Today you and I have an opportunity to choose to do something we've never done. Doing different to create different. We can choose to face that fear which has held us captive for too long. We can stop waiting and procrastinating and start doing. We can stop feeling sorry for ourselves. We can stop justifying and rationalising all that destructive crap we do. We can get responsible and proactive instead of offended and hurt. We can stop being victims and start being warriors. We can work through the uncomfortable stuff and grow, learn, adapt and change in the process. And we can consciously, strategically and courageously change our life.

Or we could do what we did last Thursday. And the one before.