Your cozi compass: A daily planner for living your authentic self
image credit: Osarugue Igbinoba
This isn’t your average to-do list. And, forget the frantic rush and the pressure to always perform. What we’ve been taught is unsustainable. This is a daily guide - framed around the guiding principal that life is not a problem to be solve. Rather, life is a journey to be savored. Start today with a focus on comfort, authenticity, and the quiet power within.
Morning - embracing your inner landscape
Gentle awakening (no alarm overload): Ease into the day. Before reaching for your phone, take a few deep breaths. Remind yourself: Life is not a problem to be solved. This day is for being, not just doing.
Silent check-in (tune out the noise): Before the influx of emails and news, spend a few moments in silence. Notice the thoughts that arise, but remember: The voice in your head is not your identity. Observe them without judgment, like clouds passing in the sky.
Curate your input (protect your peace): Be mindful of what you consume first thing. Delay the news, resist the urge to scroll through social media. Remember: Fear and anxiety is created by digesting continuous streams of data, information, news, and comparison to others. Choose calm over chaos.
Reflect and release (disrupt the past): Take a moment to acknowledge your historical you – the patterns, the old stories. Then, gently whisper: Your historical you is meant to be disrupted. Today is a fresh scene in your movie.
Set your intention (your movie, your script): You are the star, writer, and producer of your day. What kind of scene do you want to create? It doesn’t need to be grand. Perhaps it’s a scene of quiet focus, joyful connection, or creative exploration. You are the star of your own movie where you write, produce each scene & you can change the script anytime you want.
Midday - navigating with flow & intention
Choose your focus (curate your energy): Look at your tasks, but approach them with intention, not obligation. What truly resonates? What feels like a natural next step? You curate your life. Prioritize what aligns with your inner compass.
Slow and deep engagement (find your balance): As you work or engage in activities, practice being fully present. Notice the details, savor the process. Balance is achieved by slow, deep living and doing while taking care of the things you have little control over.
Listen to your inner knowing (beyond the noise): Throughout the day, check in with yourself. What feels right? What feels forced? Remember: The media and all the world’s systems of religious tradition, finance, education and social constructs - it’s all noice - the answers to true meaning & purpose lie within.
Plan your escape (proactive rest): Even if your day is full, consciously schedule a moment for pause, for retreat, for something that nourishes you. When you need to plan, plan your escape. This could be a walk in nature, listening to music, or simply quiet contemplation.
Acknowledge your being (enough is now): As tasks get done (or don’t), remember: You are enough and being is progress. Your worth isn’t tied to your productivity.
Afternoon - reclaiming yourself and your pace
Release the need to conform (your unique path): Notice any urges to fit in, to follow the crowd. Gently remind yourself: Let go of trying to fit in. Your unique rhythm is valuable.
Slow down to see (reclaim your identity): If things feel rushed, consciously slow your pace. Notice your surroundings, your breath. Reclaim your identity by slowing down - it’s not about pace.
Challenge the urgency myth (find your rhythm): Be aware of the ingrained pressure to constantly produce and perform. Recognize that this often breeds fear. The construct (myth) that there’s a constant need to produce results and perform has a way of manifesting as fear - knowingly or not. Find your pace. Speed isn’t always better, risk taking is overrated, practice self-leadership and find YOUR pace.
Own your space (confidence within): Step into each moment with a sense of self-assurance. Occupy your experience space with confidence - you’ve worked hard to get here. You are worthy of being present.
Evening - connecting and reflecting
Tap into your unfinished business (inner yearning): Take some quiet time to connect with those longings, those dreams that only you know about. You have unfinished business that only you know about - tap into that. Even small steps towards them matter.
Acknowledge your journey (embrace your age): Reflect on who you’ve become. Embrace the wisdom and experiences that have shaped you. Age does matter, become clear & comfortable with who you’ve become.
Listen to your inner rejection (trust your gut): Review your day. Did you try to force yourself into situations that felt wrong? Remember: The universe will never give you peace in something you were never meant to accept.
Prioritize your needs (choose yourself): If you found yourself bending over backwards for others, gently remind yourself: Choose to disappoint others over yourself. Your well-being matters.
Find the gift in the past (transform dysfunction): Reflect on challenging family dynamics. Look for the strength and wisdom you gained navigating them. Your parent’s dysfunction is a gift.
Revisit your younger self (innate wisdom): Think back to your passions and inclinations in high school. What did you instinctively want to do? You knew in high school who you were, apply that to the wisdom you now have.
Embrace imperfection (the first step): If you started something new today, acknowledge that it might not be perfect. Your first anything will be bad but you can’t make the masterpiece without making the first. Progress, not perfection.
Night - creating your sanctuary
Simplify and retreat (downgrade, disappear): As the day winds down, consciously simplify your environment and your interactions. Create a cozi and peaceful space. Downgrade, disappear, disassociate for the lifestyle you want.
Embrace stillness (beyond the to-do list): Let go of the day’s tasks. Remember: Living is not a to do list. Simply be present in the quiet.
Trust your path (you are here): As you prepare for sleep, know that you are exactly where you need to be. You are not lost, you are here and have known where you need to be.
Listen to the silence (your inner compass): Before sleep, create a moment of true silence. Listen to the quiet wisdom within. You can’t sleep walk into your destiny, pay attention with silence, don’t listen to all the voices in your head.
Embrace your journey (wisdom in mistakes): As you drift off, remember that every experience, every misstep, has contributed to who you are. If you fixed all of your mistakes, you’d erase yourself, embrace this wisdom.
This is your day, curated by you, for you. Embrace the comfort of simply being, trust your inner wisdom, and allow the gentle rhythm of your truest self to guide your way. You are enough. You are here. And that is profound progress.
