Either you run the day or the day runs you: In today’s discussion, we touch upon topics of control, planning and discipline. Life happens, whether we want it or not. This discussion is a conflict between the school of thought that talks about living life as it comes. On the other hand, it is also about defining what we want from life and planning, and adapting to realise our dreams and aspirations.
Either you run the day or the day runs you
Jim Rohn
Jim Rohn was an American entrepreneur, motivational speaker and author whose quotes revolve around setting up goals, success, controlling your outcomes etc. On one such instance, we would like to explore these dimensions on the quote – either you run the day or the day runs you – Jim Rohn.
Either you run the day or the day runs you Meaning
Sometimes, I feel that words can have a fascinating impact. They don’t need to sound emphatic or sensational, but simple ones with a strong meaning can very well do the job. There are 5 key points that define the meaning of – either you run the day or the day runs you:
- We ought to take control of the day and define what we want to get out of it
- You can either be proactive or reactive – leadership indicates a proactive approach and plan for the best utilisation of time. A reactive approach forces us to think about time management and stress of quick reactions
- Prioritisation, setting up goals and defining what we need to achieve to run the day and our goals on a longer-term
- The day running us creates a stress of external factors and being reactive to these demands
In essence, the main point of this Jim Rohn quote on either you run the day or the day runs you imply taking control of our day and planning its activities. It is all about taking control and initiative or else we will easily get lost in the details.
The day Runs you Meaning
This means about being in control of the events around us. This quote is all about planning, being incharge and conscious of what we do. If not, it is easy to be swept away in the happenings of the day. If we don’t control the events of a day, the day runs you. It will create numerous demands and before you know, the day is over.
We are all very busy people. Each day is packed and there is a constant shortage of time with every passing day. We see that there are so many things to do from the time we get up. It has become a natural affair to carry on with the day without having to stop and think about what we want. It is either work or studies, but there is a constant shortage of time. Ever wonder if you were in control of this time and did only the things you wanted to do, how would this day be? With this point in mind – what if you were to consciously decide and control how the day goes?
You run the day meaning
What if we turn this around and say that we are in control of the day. What does it take us to define a day and lead it to our future goals? This creates a sense of control and being the masters of our journey. We immediately change the mindset from being a follower to a leader. It can fill our life with excitement and desire to make things happen.
If we flip this around and imagine you are running the day and your emotions,
- What are the top things that would occupy your day? I am not talking about the TO DO list.
- We are referring to something more important – the things that drive you and are really important to you.
- These are the things occupying every aspect of your life – physical, emotional, relationship, work, and finances. All those giant areas you can think of.
Ultimately it is about doing what we want in the day and life
There is only one success – to do what we want with our life. It is quite natural to think of all the problems we have before we think of getting this overarching control.
- If you don’t take control of what you have now, there never is a time when things are perfect.
- The moment you don’t take charge, events of your day take over you.
- There is no place for planning or staying on top of things, it will be those events which drive you.
- Things don’t get smooth on their own, challenges keep getting tougher at each stage.
Start the habit of control today, the rest will slowly start to follow. You don’t have to do everything at once, but you need to make a start. Start with things you can master, and slowly build up the rest. After all, if you don’t have a plan for your life and priorities, someone else will.
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It is very important to plan and prioritise works on a day. If we do this, we may have a satisfaction at the end of the day that we have accomplished something.
Very true Abhijit, it does get overwhelming at times to sort these priorities, especially when there are so many of them. I personally find a To DO list very compelling. Recently I have come across a software called Trello which enables you to manage these TO DO lists better and prioritise them based on needs. It is a freeware which I have found quite sensible to help with the thought process. Sort of goes back to the idea of Eisenhower matrix for time management.
As always a pleasure to converse with you.