Just For Today

Good things come in small packages, according to a frequently-repeated saying. Wisdom can be considered one of those “good things.” And the small package in which it comes can be three simple words—Just for today.

Time serves as a separation between events and a person has no control or jurisdiction over those that have already taken place nor over those that have not. His only domain is therefore today—and it is the only time he can be the most effective and influential.

“This day is all I have to work with,” according to a share in Al-Anon’s Courage to Change text (Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., 1992, p. 274). “The past is over and tomorrow is out of my reach. I will try to remember what a great gift this day can be and make full use of it.”

The statement underscores the dichotomous nature of people. They can either be active, as it implies, or passive.

The latter entails existence, a lack of effect or effort or influence. To this type of person, things just happen and he responds with thoughts and feelings. When they become repetitious, they can become habitual and almost-automatic.

The former entails a conscious effort to be at cause or control over a situation or interaction, within sometimes limited margins, and a change in the thoughts, feelings, and even actions that result from them.

“Just for today,” that gem of wisdom which belongs to the active person, has four inherent implications.

1. It implies that the person will use or harness his present to try to do or change something.

2. It implies an interception or interruption of something that may be well-worn, reducing him to passivity.

3. It implies a one-time, short-interval attempt, and not one that must be long-lasting and definitive.

4. Finally, it implies that the person can always revert to his old or original ways if, for some reason, the new ones are not entirely successful, he is not ready to implement and accept them, he changes his mind, or they just do not suit him for the moment.

As a commitment, it is temporary, not binding, and is far more palatable and attemptable than something permanent would be. It is the “try it on for size,” the placing of one toe into a cold pool at a time instead of altogether diving into it, and the taking a bite of dinner as opposed to swallowing it all at once. It is less daunting, threatening, and trepidation-evoking than the all-or-nothing-at-all method would be, and can serve as a first step toward change or improvement.

“I will try to live through this day and not tackle all of my problems at once,” advises Al-Anon’s “Just for Today” pamphlet. “I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.”

There are countless situations to which a person can apply this pause-and-intercept strategy.

When it comes to thoughts, he may say that, “Just for today, I will reject my negative ones and make a conscious effort to focus on my positive ones. I will wish someone well, not harm, and understand that anything less comes from my own weaknesses and deficiencies.”

When it comes to feelings, he may say, “Just for today I will concentrate on my positive ones and be grateful for what I have, instead of being unhappy with what I don’t, and realize how much more fortunate I am in comparison to others.”

When it comes to actions, he may say, “Just for today, I will take some small step toward self-improvement, a career-related move, or a relationship. If I’m on a diet, that step could be as simple as avoiding desserts.”

When it comes to reactions, he may say “Just for today, I will slow down, think before I react, and intercept the automatic nature of my reactions, trying to understand their origins.”

And when it comes to time, he may say, “Just for today, I will immerse myself in the present and step off the ruminating treadmill that keeps me in the past.”

Changes, especially of a personal nature, require slow progression, because it is far easier to travel the brain’s well-worn neuropathways than create new ones, and any expectations to the contrary will only result in disappointment and a feeling of failure.

“Just for today, I can try out new behaviors,” the share in Al-Anon’s Courage to Change continues (op. cit. p. 274). “I can take the point of view that perhaps I have been given a lifetime to learn something about myself… Just for today, I might try slightly changing some pattern of behavior that repeatedly causes me problems, just to see what happens.”

In the end, “just for today” places the person in the driver’s seat. It constitutes a temporary, short-internal effort that intercepts habitual thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions, and reactions established in the past that can serve as a stepping stone to their reduction or elimination in the future. Just for today, the person should consider this fact alone.

Robert G. Waldvogel has earned the Interdisciplinary Certificate in Behavioral Health for Late Adolescence and the Emerging Adult and a Postgraduate Certificate in the Fundamentals of Cognitive Behavioral Treatment at Adelphi University’s School of Social Work. He has led Twelve-Step support groups on Long Island for almost 15 years, and created the Adult Child Recovery-through-Writing, and the Strengthening Our Spirituality Programs taught at the Thrive Recovery Community and Outreach Center in Westbury.