Jam Today

I’ve been listening on and off (whilst hoovering, cooking and running around) to an audio of Dale Carnegie’s book,  How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.

I can’t say I’ve been tuning into every single word, and that’s not a poor reflection on the book which is an easy tiptoe between anecdotes and ideas.  It was during one such dip-in that I heard  ‘Jam Today.’  I’m explaining my poor attention just in case Dale explained how  ‘Jam Today’ is a world famous concept first postulated by someone ludicrously famous, and about whom I still know SFA.

One of the antidotes to worrying, which is suggested by Mr Carnegie, is living in the present. Now I know I’ve heard that before, but I’m not sure I truly understood what it meant for me and ‘Jam Today’ explained it very well.  So here it is…

We remember the good times in our yesterdays when we might have had jam

We look forward to the good times to come, when we will have jam

But we don’t have Jam Today.

Instead of enjoying every single minute of today, are we looking forward to our next day, or our next era, when we’ll finally get to have a real great time? And then I started thinking the concept through further.  A bit of extrapolation (and on a Monday Evening!).

It’s not just about ‘tomorrowing’ with the fun things in life. Are you trying to lose weight?  Even if you’re not personally, then maybe you know someone, or can imagine someone, eating the chocolate cake today and bargaining with themselves to eat less or go for a run tomorrow? And then tomorrow they eat the donut a mate buys them because tomorrow they’ll eat less and go for a run……..and so the bum never shrinks.  I should know.

What about paying for luxuries on a credit card because you deserve the treat  right now – you just don’t have the cash – right now.  And when did it a bit of pleasure get so costly?

I’m not going to pretend that my entire ethos has spun 180 degrees in few days, but I can feel a few changes.  Today for instance I didn’t have the cream scone with lashings of good intentions about calorie burning tomorrow.

I also sat down for over an hour with a Harry Potter.  No personal development involved.  No meaningful out-put.  Just to enjoy myself.   For free.

Best wishes to you

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