The Make Today Matter Makeover: The 26 Best Ways to Recapture Daily Magic, Kick-start High-Energy Living, and Get the Most out of Life - Softcover

Chapter One: The Make Today Matter Journey

"Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure?" —Anonymous

It has been said that life is what happens while we are making other plans. If today you stopped and took inventory of your life-to-date, how has your life path differed from the path you planned? Have life events and circumstances caused unexpected twists and turns? Perhaps a divorce, chance meeting, step-family, illness, job change, promotion, or loss have catapulted you in a direction you never foresaw when planning the future.

When I was in elementary school, I remember my father telling me he was moving to the Virgin Islands. Although I did not know where the Virgin Islands were, I guessed they were nowhere close to my then-Wisconsin home. While my parents had divorced when I was eight months old, my father and I had reestablished a relationship that was about to be severed just as it had been years before. As a young child I gained an introduction into how little control we often have over events that may largely influence our life path.

This would not be the only unexpected turn. In my teens I would leave high school two years early and uncover a talent, passion, and love for writing. My twenties would bring the tragic and sudden death of my only sibling, marriage, the birth of my daughter, an unexpected move across country, and nurturing a new and volatile business. The trend continued into my thirties (I am thirty-five at the time of this writing) with another cross country move, my husband's unexpected job loss, the tragic loss of my father, the sale of one business, and the exciting start of a new one.

Interestingly, despite the ups and downs I have always remained an obvious optimist. More than once I have been asked "How do you keep such a good attitude?" Only recently have I been able to put my optimism into words. I realize that over the years I have learned to stop looking at the path I had wanted to take and instead look at the path life has given me. I find magic where I am instead of dreaming about the magic I might have missed. I no longer spend countless hours planning how my life will unfold. Instead, I spend that time living the days I have. I have quit worrying about big milestones and instead focus on making each day matter.

Will Rogers once offered this simple and wise advice, "Never let yesterday use up too much of today." While we will all have days, weeks, months, or even years we would like to change, we cannot change them. If we spend today looking backward, what type of tomorrow will we create?

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My formula for living optimistically is quite simple: Stop asking "Why me?" and begin asking "Now what?"
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The culmination of my life experiences led me to create the Make Today Matter Life System (MTM) in 2008. A comprehensive, online support and learning community, each day hundreds of members utilize MTM to stay focused on what we can control and letting go of what we cannot. We balance a little planning with a lot of action to create successful days that in turn create successful weeks, months, and years.

In the MTM System, after working through an online 30 Step Toolbox that covers time management, organization, clutter control, energy, routines, and attitude we take a monthly Snapshot and then choose three Minis to help support the areas where we want to grow and improve. We look at little, effective, realistic steps. This book brings the Snapshot and twenty-six MTM member-selected Minis to you in a do-it-yourself format.

The Minis cover a wide terrain. Use the first chapters of this book to help you work through the Snapshot, identify your priorities, and chart your unique path through this book. By doing so you will uncover what life areas are out of alignment and find proven strategies for effective change. The Mini-Makeovers provide short, achievable steps that fit into today's busy lifestyles. You do not need extensive planning or time. All you need is a commitment to letting go of what you cannot control and a mind-set ready to focus on what action you can take today to steer your life—to make the most of these twenty-four hours—to make today matter. Perhaps Maria Edgeworth said it best when she said, "If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves." Now is your moment to begin. When you are ready, meet me at Chapter Two and we'll get moving.