I can memorize verses and inspirational quotes. I can write down my goals and action lists every week. But none of that matters if I don’t live it out.

I’ve realized that every day is a test. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate my faith and my priorities – mainly to myself. If I let anxiety or worry or busyness distract me too much, I’ve failed my test for that day.

This month, I’m setting the bar low. My test for each day is to post a complete thought or observation to this blog, sometime before midnight.

It may seem like that’s an arbitrary goal, but it’s not for me. My ability to write reflects a clear mind that is at peace. And I’m not very successful at achieving that each day. Right now, my track record is about 2 days of every 7 – just over 25%.

If I’m stressed or unfocused, I can’t write. It just doesn’t happen. The internal scripts of excuses roll out automatically, paralyzing me.

I don’t have time. Seriously, with 24 hours in a day, I convince myself that there’s not half an hour to spare. Yet, I’ll have checked Facebook and Twitter or read several articles.

I’m a morning person. I can’t write late in the day. This is beyond silly. I’ve never told a client that I couldn’t complete a financial project in the afternoon, so why would writing be any different.

I don’t have anything meaningful to say today. This assumes that everything else I write is meaningful to every reader. For many of my previous posts, the message may have only connected with one other person – and that could be my husband or one of my sisters. Aside from that, there’s no reason I can’t find something valuable in each day.

And on and on . . .

I bet you have a test too – something that quickly measures the quality of your day. In itself, it’s not a big deal. But what it represents for you probably is.

Maybe it’s having dinner with your family, meaning that you’ve been focused enough on work that you’ve completed it at a reasonable hour. Maybe it’s flossing your teeth each night, meaning that you’ve avoided crashing on the recliner in front of the television.

I dare you to name it, call out your standard excuses, and commit to accomplishing it each day. If you’d like, you can even share it below. That way, we can help encourage each other.