“Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely, and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
One of the most valuable habits I’ve integrated into my days are my evening reflection –– a set of 9 prompts designed to crystalise the day into moments. An unexpected result from this daily practice is that it has allowed me to tie up each day in a nice neat bow and be done with it regardless of how memorable or unmemorable it was, productive or unproductive. If its the former, I capture the peak-life moments of the day and it serves as seeds for nostalgia in future. If its the latter, I capture the less-than-peak-life moments and it serves as learnings to take into the next day and a reminder to have gratitude for the things I take for granted.
I think it a skill that warrants further examination by most. Prior to this developing this habit, anxiety would creep in at random times about things I did or did not do in the past. Not only was it unpleasant in the moment, it is unnecessary.
“We suffer more in imagination than in reality.”
Seneca
I have felt this has happened far less frequently than before. Unfortunately, I have no way to verify this and thus my memory is vulnerable to a menagerie of biases. But I stand by this, I feel so convinced that a lot of it has to do with finding a way to almost ceremoniously mark the end of the day, appreciate or mourn as appropriate, and move onto the next day.
“The important thing is to make it to the end of the day, no matter what. No matter how bad it gets, see it through to the end so you can get to tomorrow.”
Austin Kleon