Every Day is a Blank Canvas!

"Today is a new day." How many times have we heard this, and yet how many of us truly take it to heart? Quite literally every minute you have the capacity, by choice, to stop your thought train in its tracks and look at whatever is happening from a fresh perspective. You can start today feeling like a failure, completely overwhelmed about what you didn't get done yesterday or dreading the huge project on your desk, or you can break it down and see it differently.

We lawyers often have huge piles of work, sometimes quite literally, that has to get done. Not every day can be as productive as the one before. That's just reality. Some days you may not be as well rested, you might have eaten a crash-inducing lunch, maybe you didn't sleep well or were up late into the night. 

This doesn't just apply to workload management. It also works for things like your fitness goals, weight loss, or personal goals like making time for and working on your relationships, learning a new skill, or making time for some fun. How many of you beat yourselves up because you don't get out and have fun? 

Give yourself a break! As Tony Horton says, "Do your best and forget the rest!" 

It can be really easy to beat ourselves up about what we didn't do yesterday, but in the end what is the benefit in that? If we plan ahead and recalibrate every morning, we can adjust our plans in time to still get things done without being too overwhelmed, or if it's not possible to get the work done, we will know in time to ask for help or find another solution, whether that's outsourcing part of a project or seeking an extension. 

Recalibrating our work plan could be done at the end of the work day, but I find that if I do that I only take work into account. I like to do it in the morning so I consider all of my plans and goals, but the important thing is to be aware of your progress and tweak within your plan to be sure you correct course early and often.

Seeing your morning as a blank canvas can apply to every aspect of your life. Want a better relationship with your spouse? Try waking up and being the happier, more loving person you wish they would be. Sometimes the smallest change can make a huge difference. Have that conversation with your friend, take a walk in the park instead of eating fast food at lunch, take ten minutes and meditate, ride bikes with your kids. Plan to do some things that allow you to see the beauty in your life and that move the ball forward. 

What will you be painting on your canvas today?