Faith Venture

What good will I do today?

Sometimes I write about goal setting, as in New Year’s Resolutions or the like. Actually I write about not doing that. Just thinking about what kind of person I’d like to be. And writing it down.

This question makes that thought real. Every day, if we do it. This is a practice handed down from the early American “founding father” and statesman Benjamin Franklin.

Begin the day asking of yourself What good will I do today? End the day answering What good did I do today?

It is best not to leave that question in the abstract. On one hand, we could remind ourselves to be open to at least one opportunity to make someone’s day better.

• A bigger tip for the barista
• A smile and helpful hand to someone you meet
• A donation to a worthwhile charity
• Participate in a food drive or blood drive

Following good Getting Things Done (David Allen) practice, perhaps we should write at the top of today’s calendar or to do list one thing we will do. Writing something and then crossing it off the list is oddly satisfying.

I had not thought of doing that next step that of writing down a specific action until I started writing this post. Maybe that’s my good idea for the day.

Now, what’s the good thing I can do today?

This entry was posted on November 3, 2021 at 6:45 am and is filed under Disciplines, Habits, Service. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.