One Day or Day One...

My biggest red flag character flaw has always been my ability to procrastinate without consequences. When it came to doing homework, the study period before the class, or winging an exam I didn't prepare for, I always managed to do well. I graduated as an honor roll student like that.

Now, as an adult, I am finding that my procrastination might not have consequences, but it also doesn't have any rewards anymore. There are no good grades to reach for. There isn't anyone else assigning things for me to do. And I don't have to worry about getting them done on time because there are no consequences for lack of completion.

I also find myself saying the phrase, 'one day' a lot more. When I was in high school, it was expected that I would accomplish things one day. One day, when I was an adult. But that never stopped, even when it should have. My 'One day' just kept getting pushed down the line.

When I graduated from high school, I was going to publish a book one day.

When I was in college, I was going to publish a book one day.

When I was working in retail and hating life, I was going to publish a book one day.

Eventually, I decided to grow up and stop saying that. One day became my Day One. I am so proud of myself for publishing my first book. From a piece of paper I wrote on in class instead of doing the lesson back in 2017 to a Word Document I wrote up during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and finally to publishing it now in 2025, I have the reward. I can finally say I am an author.

I do regret procrastinating this. I enjoy writing, and I wish I had more books published. But there isn't a point to having regrets unless you learn from them. Publishing this book, writing this blog, and posting on social media are my Day One. Procrastination is going to have to take a back seat. I am going to do this on day one instead of one day.

My reward: sharing my book and my journey with everyone willing to read and listen. The joy of sharing my joy with others. The pride of leaving a lasting impact on the world. Hopefully, I can inspire others to change their One day into their Day One.

Love, Sam Bentley

p.s. I wrote day so many times in this post that I am now worried that I am spelling it wrong. It is d-a-y right? It doesn't look right anymore. Don't you hate it when that happens? 😂

My first book!!!