We live a million lives in our lifetime.

“The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.” — Mike Murdock.

Today, a strange thought came to my mind. The thought was foolish, but it made me think for the whole day.

We live every day the equivalent of a whole life. This means that in one day, we do all those things that one is supposed to do in a lifetime, and life throws all that it can throw in a lifetime.

I was driving and was supposed to meet my vet for my pet’s surgery. The time, 3:45 PM, was my appointment. I left home, and to my luck, I had to drive behind a TRUCK for the whole journey. I tried overtaking, but the roads were too narrow for that. I Honked, but nothing seemed to bother the driver. I was running late and was becoming angry second by second. It felt that life was throwing everything at me today.

Suddenly, a thought came to me, not the one above. The truck driver was not the variable I could control, not his speed, not the narrowness of the road. What I could control was me, my anger, and my driving. So I chose to control myself and be the man I suppose that truck driver to be — a peaceful, controlled gentleman.

The thought about control is, “You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius.

My struggles the whole day: I have been trying hard to overtake this driver; before that, I had an office, doing hard there. After the vet’s appointment, I will be doing something else, and that too with very hard work and passion.

After this, the above thought came to me: “We live 30 lives a month and 365 lives in one year and so on. You do the math.”

The day starts with peace, like a newborn baby. Not knowing what will happen in the day is like the baby being unaware of the days to come. Then, the day starts for the office, and the baby starts walking, going to school, etc.

When everything is done in the day, we sleep just like the old man dies. The next morning, we wake up again, fresh and again.

It is like this:

Morning = Birth

The whole day — what every life throws at you, ups and downs, happiness and sadness, etc

Sleep = death

Next morning = New Birth

It made me realise I am living a life in a day, every day. If I start complaining every day, then I will be complaining for 30 lives in a month, 365 lives in a year and subsequently, I will be complaining for my whole life. I will be leaving no place for Growth, Happiness, success and, most importantly, life itself.

If I have to make my larger life a peaceful, satisfied, and successful one, I have to start by making my daily life — peaceful, satisfied and successful. I have to stop making complaints and be angry about everything, even those that are not in my control.

I will have to start to learn peacefulness, happiness, satisfaction in small things and, most importantly, success at the end of each day. Only then will I be able to say I lived my life the way I was supposed to live it. When I die, I will die a happy, peaceful and satisfied person.

Let us all do that. Let us make everyday life like we want the whole to be.

Let us start small and grow big and then die peacefully, satisfied and happy.