An idea (examining our patterns)
"We are what we repeatedly do . .
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
These are words attributed to Aristotle (or writer Will Durant 😊)
The older I get, the more I see the truth in these words.
As we progress through life, we start to reap seeds that were sown many years ago.
We see this in our health. Our finances. Our relationships. Our wisdom accumulation.
And this becomes a reminder that future outcomes will be a byproduct of our present habits.
As James Clear said:
"Habits are the compound interest of self-development."
With this in mind, take a moment to reflect on your current habits.
As you reflect, I want you to pick three habits that are serving you well.
These can be financial, spiritual, relational, physical, mental.
Here are a few examples from some of my close friends:
- Short workouts each morning before the kids wake up
- Family movie nights on Friday nights
- Listening to podcasts during work commute
- Reading with kids before bed
- Date nights with spouse
- Coffee with a best friend on Friday mornings
- Weekly fishing trips with kids
Just think of three specific habits that are moving you forward in a positive direction.
This can be an encouraging exercise, and sometimes catches people off guard because these routine habits can be so natural to us we don't think of them as strengths.
But identifying them is powerful for two reasons:
- You're less likely to stop doing them; and
- It helps you build self-confidence to build new habits.
At some point in your life, the habits you identified were not things you did regularly.
But you took a small step. You kept your own promise to yourself. And then you did it again. And again.
Until now it is pretty much on autopilot and it is compounding into positive results now and into your future.
Take confidence in this.
You're a disciplined person.
You're an intentional person (I know that because you read these emails).
And you have the capacity to build more habits that will help you get to your desired future.
Just for fun, here are my three:
1. Getting up early.
2. Taking one day of rest per week (for me, a Sabbath rest)
3. Journaling each day.
I'll discuss these more in-depth in future Intentional Letters, but simply identifying these brought me joy and a little boost of confidence.
I hope it does the same for you.
Now, what is one habit you want to start this year?
You've proven you can do it.
Start small. Make it easy. Build momentum. Find a consistent pattern (see below image). And celebrate the tiny wins along the way.
I'm grateful to get to grow together. |
