Have you ever put together a 1,000-piece puzzle? If so, you know there is a big difference between the image on the box and the reality of dumping out a thousand pieces onto the table. 

We tend to look at life as one unbroken string of events that consists of people, memories, and emotions… but the reality of everyday life is much different. In fact, the way we experience life is mainly within the confines of 24-hour periods. 

We live our lives gazing at the complete picture on the puzzle box. We have hopes, dreams, and goals. But the picture is actually made of those tiny puzzle pieces jumbled up on the table. 

In the same way, your life is made up of those tiny 24-hour blocks we call days. When you get right down to it, your life is just a collection of days—nothing more, nothing less. 

Every book that’s ever been written, every movie that’s been directed, every building that’s been built, and every worthwhile accomplishment that’s been done has been achieved by using the time available in those days. 

As the writer, Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” 

Whatever good things you want to happen with your writing will come about because of what you do with your days. That bright future you imagine isn’t “out there somewhere”… it’s right in front of you, available to you just as it’s always been available to everyone else.   

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. The single greatest predictor of your success as a writer—or success in any other area, for that matter—is how you use your days. 

 Days are the building blocks of your life. Use each one well.