My daughter posted this quote on her blog today.  When I saw it, it really hit home and got me thinking.

In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.  ~Robert Heinlein

Read and reread that simple sentence… think about the words and the message for a minute.  We become enslaved by the daily trivia.  

Alzheimer’s Disease.  It’s never far from my mind, making it all the more important to BE HERE NOW.  This phrase was heavily used in an engagement type program we had at work a few years ago, and it has stayed with me.  Be here NOW.  Focus on NOW.  Don’t worry about tomorrow, don’t dwell on yesterday.  Live in such a way that if you die tomorrow, you’ll have no regrets.  Don’t get caught up in life’s ho hum routine…

So much of this is about not getting lost in the minutia – or the “daily acts of trivia” as the quote references.  We’re all guilty of plodding through the daily motions of life at some time or another… wake up, let the dog out, get ready for work, spend the day at office, come home, eat dinner, get ready for bed, go to sleep, repeat…  An easy trap to fall into, isn’t it?

This week, I challenge you to break free of that routine.  Each day, set a goal for yourself and follow through.  Plan to go for a walk at lunch, or call a friend you haven’t talked to in awhile.  Take a different route to work or get in that 30 minutes of exercise before calling it a day.  It doesn’t have to be anything monumental, but it will do wonders for waking up your soul and reminding you that life is so much more than a daily routine.

As they say, life isn’t a dress rehearsal, this is the main event! Don’t miss it!

Until next time… Carpe diem…