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In the weekend edition of a Dutch newspaper, an article was printed every week about the most favorite travel destinations of someone. The travel destinations can be visited in one day.
For example, I will have breakfast at La Salle à Manger in Rue Mouffetard in Paris. Then I wander through the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, England. For lunch, I go to Château la Coste in the Provence, where you sit between beautiful artwork. In the afternoon, I drive around in a jeep through the national park of Tarangire in Tanzania. When it gets too hot, I’m taking a refreshing bath in the sea at the beach of Prainha, west of Rio de Janeiro. In the evening, I dine at the Reel Inn, in Malibu, California. Then I enjoy an espresso in Salamanca, Spain, where I admire the old castles and cathedrals as it gets dark. Of course, I do spend the night with my love in De Amshoff in Kiel-Windeweer, Groningen.
It would be a perfect day for me at the weekend.
However, this blog is about a perfect day during the week. What would it look like? Who are you? Who do you meet, and what are you doing to achieve what you want?
If you have a vision, it can help to make your dreams come true. It helps you to clarify your purpose, you WHY and your goals in this life. It can also help you stay focused (and calm) if you are distracted or stressed.
The perfect day exercise
Do this exercise, especially if you want to work on your vision, your goals, or if you are dealing with procrastination.
Go outside in nature and leave your mobile phone at home. Take pen and paper with you and write down what your perfect day looks like. Write in the first person (in the I-form) and use action-oriented verbs such as going, standing, making, doing, talking, … Be as specific as possible but do not lose yourself in all kinds of material possessions. Just ask yourself why you would like to have it and how it helps you or others. Other questions that you can answer in the perfect day exercise are:
-Where do you live?
-How does your house look like?
-What do you do in the morning?
-How does your work/company look like?
-What do you eat?
-Where are you traveling to?
-What kind of people are around you?
-Who are your clients/colleagues?
-What time do you go to work?
-What do you think about?
-How do you help others?
-What kind of friends do you have?
-What gives you satisfaction?
-What are you working on?
-When are you coming home?
-What are you learning?
-What are you doing with your family?
-What are you talking about?
-What time do you go to bed?
-Who lies next to you in bed (if there is someone)?
-What do you think about when you are in bed?
Take about an hour for this. The exercise is about visualizing. Give yourself permission to lose yourself in your thoughts. Try to describe how it feels to do the things you want to do.
A step further
If you make a collage (vision board) of your perfect day, it is easier to be reminded of the activities you like to do. I took a picture of my vision board and used it as a background for my phone. You can also read aloud your perfect day for yourself (with music in the background). It can help you to live more consciously, to be grateful for the things you already have, and to take action for the things you want to experience or realize.
A new perfect day
It can be that your perfect day can change over time. My children are now older. I now have more time to do my daily exercises and write in my journal before having breakfast with my family every morning. This is part of my perfect day. In a few years, my children may no longer live in the house. Then a perfect day looks different.
Everyone has their own perfect day
The perfect day looks different for everyone. I may have very different interests and needs than you, and maybe I am in a completely different phase of life than you. It is quite possible that you are studying or have just started your first job. Then your perfect day will look very different from mine. I do not need to bungee jump anymore. Still, I would like to learn how to fly in a small airplane. I also realize that helping people and being with others increases my experience of a perfect day.
A perfect day every day?
I do not have a perfect day every day. Sometimes I have to travel, I am sick (or one of my children is), a project takes longer than planned, or there is a challenge on my path. We, sometimes, all have a problem that needs to be solved. The point is not that you stick to the routine of a perfect day but that you are flexible and that you do those things that are in line with what you find important in your life.
Your WHY can help you to have a better day and a perfect day. By saying your WHY aloud, you get in touch with your unique contribution and its impact on the world. It is positive and regenerative. It gives me joy, energy, and love whenever I am in a fixed mindset.
Discover your WHY today!
I can help you discover your WHY. Read this article on what a WHY session looks like, and contact me today for a FREE intake.
How does your perfect (weekend)day look like? Do you have another version of this exercise that works better for you? Let me know in the comment box below. I, and other readers of this article look forward to read from you!
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Update: I wrote the original article on June 5th, 2018, and it was updated on September 21st, 2023