“Remember tomorrow.”

I just finished listening to Jesse Itzler‘s book “Living with the Monks.” 

Although much of the book will have limited relevance in my day-to-day life, it was the final few chapters that had the most meaning to me.  Specifically, Mr. Itzler’s mantra (catchphrase? tagline?) “remember tomorrow.”

At first, “remember tomorrow” made absolutely no sense to me.  How could we possibly remember tomorrow when it hadn’t even happened yet?  Mr. Itzer explains it like this:

Remembering tomorrow invites us to think about how we’ll feel tomorrow about a decision we make today.

Got it.  But how can we use this in practice?  Here are a few examples:

Completions:  Years ago a friend and I decided to do a sprint triathlon for a milestone birthday.  I’m not an athlete, far from it, but I trained for a few months and made it happen.  Had I quit while running the foot race (the part I liked the very least and where I really, really wanted to connect with a sweeper van), the next day I would have had regrets.  If I’d had “remember tomorrow” as a mantra, forging ahead would have been much easier.

Making time:  Regrets about not spending time with important people in our lives is one of societies biggest regrets.  I try to make time to have conversations and spend time with the ones I care about, especially the elderly.  One day we will not have those connections available to use. “Remembering tomorrow” will keep me centered to what’s truly important.  Will I have wanted to spend an extra hour working or having tea and cookies with my neighbor?

Words:  I don’t know about all of you, but sometimes holding my tongue is incredibly difficult, especially in moments of stress.  But, “remembering tomorrow” will help me visualize how I want conversations to go.  Today I may be angry and hurt, but tomorrow I will want to remember that my words were relevant, kind, and appropriate.

What do you want to “remember tomorrow?”  How will remembering tomorrow change your decisions today?

One more bit of advice from Mr. Itzler:

“Every day, think as you wake up, ‘Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive. I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”