Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is yet to come meaning

In the last few weeks, I’ve heard people say, ‘I’m not watching the news, I’m staying away’, in order to guarantee some peace and reduce stress around the world’s current situation.

I’m not going to lie; my first thoughts were these:

1. You’re being dramatic, it’s not about you, don’t make it that way.

2. Not staying informed about a pandemic is irresponsible and ignorant, you should acknowledge the hardship of people worse off than you that are dying as you carelessly frolic about in your dressing gown, complaining you don’t get to go to Venice next week.

3. If everyone was to pay attention as they should, they might just be scared enough to listen to the government and professionals and stop the actual spread. You weren’t sent home from work to stand in line for fish and chips all day.

A tad bit aggressive, I know, but I felt strongly about everything. I’ve seen friends go out at home when the crisis was pungently portrayed. I seen friends go out here in Aus, known how bad the situation was, but exclaimed this ‘may be the last outing for a while’. Which to me, was selfish, irresponsible and slightly on the side of criminal, knowing that a virus being spread through human contact is killing people.

Conversely, now that countries are on lockdown, people know what they must do (despite many still not caring or following guideline’s), I myself, think it’s healthy to take a step back from Current Affairs.

I’m not turning on the news, I will keep tapping when looking at people’s stories that highlight events, deaths or even good news. I am designating 5 minutes each evening while waiting for dinner to cook to check the gov.ie website to see of any changes that I, personally can take to ensure the safety and wellbeing of myself and others.

That’s all it takes right now. It’s a time to focus on you. In all aspects, plan each day as it comes because as my dad use to always remind me ‘tomorrow never comes’. We wait until ‘tomorrow’ each day, but the most amount can be done today.

Being present in each day and concentrating on what you can do, what you must do, can lead to immense change.

The world is not falling part. Its going through devastation and by now everyone knows how they can help. Its not everyday you can help ‘save’ or even contribute to ‘saving’ the world and civilisation, but now you can. I think if anything, it’s a humbling experience, and it brought out the good versus the ugly. The people who care about others and the ones who insist the world revolves around them and they are the greater good.

My final thoughts are; While this could have been a lot less devasting, that’s not the focus. The focus is what everyone can do today to make it better.

Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.

By philosiblog on 13 September 2013 in decision, habits, happiness, improve, perspective, struggle

Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it. – Groucho Marx

It looks like these people took Groucho’s advice and decided to be happy today. Will you?

What does that mean?
A slightly longer version of the quote is as follows: “Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.”

This is a classic ‘live in the present’ quote, but done in the matter-of-fact style Groucho did so well. It’s not as flippant or irreverent as some of his quotes, but it suits him just as well. Perhaps he was caught in a contemplative moment.

The quote states that the past is gone and tomorrow has yet to arrive. That leaves us with today. The longer version says that he has the choice if he wants to be happy or not. His decision, made consciously and in advance, is to be happy.

Why is making the decision to be happy important?  
This is the same decision we all face every morning. It can be a conscious choice, or a habit. How we choose to answer it will, in large part, determine how we view our day. If we get up dreading the day, it will be a little harder to have a good one. If we awake cheery and ready for anything, we’ll likely have a slightly better day.

We have all had days when we were predisposed to a negative view. It happens. But how difficult was it to shift from there to a better place, or did the decision ruin the whole day? In my experience, as well as that of many friends, it is very difficult to change it once the decision has been made.

The opposite is also true. Once you have decided that you’re going to have a great day, that you will be happy in it, it’s hard to slide too far down into the gloom of a not-so-happy day. And to me, that is the point of the quote, to decide that you will be happy, and make the decision stick.

Where can I apply this in my life?
We have all seen both the Gloomy Gus and the Cheery Sherrie, right? One is always having a bad day. While an overly cheery person can get on your nerves, I find them to be easier to deal with than a gloomy person. That just sucks the fun out of a day in no time flat.

If Gus won the lottery, the first thoughts he had would be about all of the taxes he would have to pay, and all the relatives and long lost friends who would stop by to say “Hi!” With their hands out, of course. Comments would then go on about bankers and investors stealing the money, and no good deed going unpunished.

On the other side of the coin, Sherrie can always find something to be happy about. Gloomy skies, with threat of rain? That’s great for the grass, the flowers and the trees, right? And of Gus and his winning lottery ticket, she’d be there trying to cheer him up, wouldn’t she?

Most of us fall somewhere between these extremes. I try to aim for a more practical, slightly toned down Sherrie, and try to avoid being Gus as much as possible. Where do you fall along that continuum? Are you happy with were you are, or do you want to try to move a little, or even a lot?

The first thing to remember is the first line of the extended quote. We have the power, the power of choice. We choose how to interpret what happens to us. Yes, we have social norms, personal preferences and habits. Yet in the end, it is up to us to determine if we are happy or not.

What tends to bring you down? What gets on your nerves? What are the things which get to you, and tend to put pressure on your happiness? Grab some paper and write them down. Take a moment and consider why these things bug you, and write those down as well.

Now select one of the things which bug you and think about how you could change your attitude so as to make it less annoying. What else could you do to diminish the impact that it has on your happiness? Remember, you can only change yourself. Others you can influence, but not change.

Which of those steps can you implement today? Which one do you want to start with? What will you do to keep track of when you succeed in using the new behavior, instead of the old? Feedback is important to the act of fine-tuning your plan, to reduce the annoyances and maximize happiness.

What have you decided? Have you decided to have a happy day, and to take some steps to make it even better? Or is your life just too happy already?