Tomorrow Just Like Today

I'm reading a book that I'll soon be reviewing on my other blog, but I had to post an idea from it here.  The book is The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It.  The new year is a good time to be learning about willpower, and I'm actually getting a lot out of the book.  I'm really interested in brain research and the biological and psychological reasons we do what we do.

Anyway, one concept from the book is the idea of "tomorrow just like today."  We tend to think that we'll start the new diet, exercise program, project, whatever tomorrow.  It's easy to talk yourself into not taking the steps today if you convince yourself you'll do it tomorrow.

If you go into it with the idea that tomorrow will be just like today, it seems more important to do the right thing today.  It's easy to say I'll skip my walk today, because I'll take a longer one tomorrow.  But if I have the idea in my head that whatever I do today is exactly what I'll do tomorrow, then it seems more critical to make today the best it can be.

So, even though I'm fighting a little cold (both in my head and outside in the weather), I've made myself take at least a short walk every day this week.  "Tomorrow, just like today."  Better walk today then!