“Give your best effort each day, and leave the rest to Spirit.”
—Harold Klemp
The Language of Soul
Look at the picture I chose for this article–a guy with no legs running a race. When I look at this picture, I do not feel sorry for this individual. Instead, I am inspired. If a guy who lost his legs can go through months of rehabilitation, physical therapy, doubt, fear, and all the rest, I can sure as hell tackle the goals I have set for myself.
I have read a lot this year and have a bunch more to read before the end of the year. As I read through books, articles, and take classes, I pay attention to any patterns I see. One pattern I have found is the emphasis on doing something rather than nothing.
I took a hacking exercise course earlier this year. It discussed all the insights science has discovered about exercise. Two of the biggest insights is how little we need to do to benefit from the exercise we do. Doing something like a set of curls or getting on a treadmill for a few minutes is better than doing nothing.
I like reading Stephen Guise. He is the author of Mini Habits. His new book, called Elastic Habits, builds on his premise of mini-habits. I have not finished the book, yet so I’ll leave this aside for now, but in Mini Habits, the entire premise of the book is to take small actions each day. These small actions build as you execute them every day.
Taking action, even if it is a small step will get you to your goal. This is key to getting the things we need to get done.
Do you have things to do that you abhor? This is the perfect time to chip away at that project. If you are not on a deadline, start chipping away at that thing you dread. Even if it is only one miniscule action, you’ll feel better and begin making progress. Or, you can continue blowing it off and carrying that monkey on your back. Your mind won’t let you forget about it, it’ll just keep bugging and bugging and bugging.
Your brain is a powerhouse. It is also very efficient. It is efficient because your brain automates things. It automates things you do all the time, like getting dressed, putting your shoes on, or brushing your teeth. It also begins generating ideas to help you work on your current task(s). When you focus on things, your brain will seek everything to assist you.
I just finished writing the first draft of my recruiting book. Now that it is completed, I’m going to put that aside for a few months and let it rest. Now, I’m going to start working on my first fiction book. I have never written a novel and need to find out the best ways to complete it. So, I’ll take some time to take some courses, read books, and reach out to make some connections with other authors to learn the best practices, software, and techniques that will assist me with this task. You would be blown away by the number of ideas my brain gives me to accomplish this task. The same thing can happen for you, regardless of what you have set out to do.
What’s the point of this posting? Do something. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Whatever your goals are, do something to move it forward. You’ll feel great and your motivation to continue tomorrow will be greater than it was today.
Until next time…
Dave
Daily Ramblings... 