The Intern introduced this book to me in an interesting way. As she first told me about the connection she had with this book, she also explained that I embodied the lessons of the book naturally. I found this interesting. I already felt like The Intern was some sort of manifested voice to me from the universe, so this book seemed like it was the right path for me.
I do admit that the book has a lot of exercises to go through, and, back then, I was not the type of person to do the exercises. I was mostly looking for the wisdom that I needed. I definitely got it!
Before getting into my notes, there are a few stories I remember about this book:
The main story is about the guide that was always cheerful. He said his secret is to pretend that each day is the first day of his job. Doing so allows for him to approach the day with excitement and curiosity about what he will learn that day.
Another story is about how the author was checking out at a grocery store and noticed that the bagger was exceptionally good at her job. He took a moment and asked if he could buy her a candy bar to thank her for her leadership.
When the author was on the train and there were these two men that were talking about their bucket list.
So based on these stories, Day One is all about resetting yourself every day. In fact, this is applicable more than ever with my 5am club activities. Even if I fail to get up at 5am, I do not have to worry because the next day is Day One of trying to wake up at 5am. If every day is Day One, it is easier for us to get back on the proverbial horse.
Based on the story with the bagger, I learned that everyone is a leader. To me, a leader is someone that can teach lessons to others. If we take the time to quiet our minds and look around at those around us, we start to see the lessons to learn and then we start to recognize leadership. This same story also shows how impact works, which is the greatest lesson I took away from the book. If an impact is defined as a commitment to better someone’s life, then to achieve impactfulness, we must recognize the impact that others have in our life. It is such a wonderful paradox that I have tried to embody all of the time, and it is so true. Opening my heart to others and expressing how much people impact my life creates a deeper connection than I have ever really experienced.
Modifying this lesson of looking to other people as leaders, I also crafted a question that I enjoy asking people, “What is the one book that has made you into the person you are today?”. I use this question as a way to learn lessons from others. My experience from reading This is Day One is far different than when The Intern read it, but I learned my own lessons from the book, but it was from her leadership that I was able to learn.
I know a big part of the book is to help us become mindful of the areas we hope to grow in. It prompts us to focus on things we want to improve and question ourselves every day what was one thing we did to try and achieve that goal. However, this is not what I took away from the book. There is also a section on creating ‘Edge of the Bed’ advice – come up with one piece of advice that you would give to a child as they go off to college. I have one piece of advice for as many years as I am alive. I’ll likely post this around my birthday when I add another one to the list, or maybe next year when I turn 30.
When people try to return asking me, “What is the one book that has made you into the person you are today?”, I often say this one. It is such a practical book that anyone can relate to. It is also probably the first self-help book that I read, is not completely crazy woo woo, and also taught me how to hold knowledge gained from others with the highest regard. I am certain that this book is in my top 10 of all time.
Significant Notes:
What have I done today to make it likely I will learn something new?
- The Intern is pushing me to recognize in myself that I am thinking too much.
- Reminds me of when I was a senior in college and was working with the younger fencers. I said that they ‘made me younger’, because they were seeing everything as new and living their best lives.
- How can I make sure that I always have this lesson brought to me when I need it?
- Can I rely on the universe always teaching me when I need it?
- That is a dumb question. Of course the universe will always provide the refresher when I need it. Thanks universe
- Can I rely on the universe always teaching me when I need it?
Each life has its own core belief/ lesson. Through sharing these with one another we propel our own understanding of the universe far more than we can by ourselves. I want to ask each person I interact with to give me one book that they have read that has stayed with them and impacted them in some way. Could be nonfiction or it could be fantasy. Every book has the ability to impact us differently. My reading of this book gives me lessons that are different from anyone else.
