Do you wake up every single day feeling defeated from the day before? Or maybe even like a failure from the day before? Some may wake up and think to themselves that they shouldn’t even try to have a smooth day, while others wake up feeling hopeful for a new day with a fresh start.
I am here to tell you that it’s okay to not know what type of day you may have, or how your day may end. It is okay to feel defeated, but never allow yourself to feel like a failure. Failure is a word you should try to avoid. If you are alive, then Jesus is telling you that you are not a failure. You have a purpose for the day you are about to live.
Often times we put so much pressure on ourselves to be sure that everything is just right, that everything is done, only for us to not feel accomplished at the end of the day. I’m here to remind you that life is more than that. I’m also here to give you a few tips on how to manage those days when you feel defeated.
- Prioritize
- Make a list of things you would like to complete from most important to least important. My favorite notepad can be found at https://a.co/d/49ZzWeG. It allows me to make notes from top priority to things that I simply just do not need to forget. I check these off as I go, and I remind myself that it is okay to not finish the things that I put in the “do not forget section.”
- Time Management
- Time management is the key to a successful day. Managing your time on each task will allow you to complete more tasks throughout the day. I like to start with the tasks that are going to take the most amount of time, and finish the day with little tasks. I also like to do little tasks in between larger ones if possible. For instance, on Monday’s I lay out all our clothes for the week. Whether it is work, school, or practice, it is laid out with socks and everything. This cuts down on the amount of time that I spend each night trying to find clothes. That is more time that I am allowed to spend with my family, and less frustrating on us as a family trying to find clothes at the last minute.
- Acceptance
- Acceptance is the hard part for most, especially if you are like me and you like everything to fall into place perfectly. I have learned that finding a way to accept the fact that you cannot control unforeseen events, events that may keep you from completing everything you wanted to accomplish, will allow you to feel like your day was successful. We have to remember that the world is far from perfect, things are going to take place daily that may prevent us from completing a task, but it is the outlook on the situation that will allow you to have a better outcome.
You see Jesus did not always accomplish the things he wanted to in the first day, or even before he died for our sins. He had many things that he wanted to share still. He had many more days to share the love of God, and to tell people the true story the way his Father told him to. If we strive every single day to love like Jesus, then we should never feel defeated. Jesus felt very defeated in the moments of him being crucified, but oh the glory he felt when he arose three days later. We should feel that same glory no matter how “successful” we think our day was. We should feel that same glory simply because Jesus paid the ultimate price for us to live for him every single day; that is more success than anything the world could ever offer.