Thank you.
P.s. Use this as a writing prompt: who do you think is overdue for gratitude? Even if you don’t express it to them directly, expressing it viscerally can have a rippling effect at later points in your life.
An indicator of productivity that isn’t discussed enough: happiness.
Did the day make you happy? Then it was productive—regardless of how few “productive tasks” you finished.
Did the day make you miserable? Then it wasn’t productive—regardless of how many “productive tasks” you finished.
P.s. I also published 9 Timeless Lessons from Tuesdays With Morrie.
Hoping things will be better in the future is a great way to keep getting the same kind of results in the future.
If you want a better future, a great strategy to try is something new, intentional, and deliberate *today.*
P.s. It’s world cancer day. Here’s a cancer story that had a powerful impact on me.
Dear busy person,
You won’t get this day back again. Ever. How you choose to busily spend your time today will be forever stamped inside the legacy of your life. No refunds; no exchanges; no do-overs. That said, did any hesitations come up? Second thoughts? Did any of the tasks you’ve devoted precious time to in the day ahead come into question? Give yourself some space and time to notice—really notice. Because those who do—and make the proper adjustments along the way—get more out of life. This one and only life we each have to live. Days spent with no regrets are what lead to a life spent with no regrets—my hope is that you start taking it to heart, today.
Sincerely,
Your inner work person
Having a hard time building self-discipline?
Commit to building discipline first.
Join a class, enroll in a course, get a coach, etc., where you’re simply told what to do and you can focus on getting really damn good at doing what you’re told—regardless of how much you don’t want to do whatever that is (in a constructive, healthy, held-accountable way).
Do your research, of course, and don’t settle until you come to an arrangement that’s aligned with your personality type and preferences; one that’s with a person or a group you respect.
Once you do (and this is the key), make the conscious choice to replace the words that come from your ego with the words that come from this new source. In other words, don’t let your inner voice talk you out of doing what you’re told to do.
Because it’s that inner voice—your ego—that’s precisely the problem.
The path is this: discipline leads to self-discipline which leads to habits.
Flex the “do-it-even-when-you-don’t-want-to-do-it” muscle enough and eventually, it’ll be strong enough for you to flex on your own. Flex it on your own enough and eventually, it’ll become an automatic type of response that your ego slowly stops fighting you over.
This is the way.
P.s. Not sure where to start? Try enrolling in a local martial arts class. The discipline I build in martial arts became the foundation for all of the “automatic” type habits I have in my life.
One of the downfalls of digital: it’s easy to hide and ignore…
Those habit tracker apps? Can easily get lost in the million other notifications coming at you from your phone.
And the same is true for whatever else you might be trying to productively get done via screen.
A physical calendar on your fridge that has BIG “X’s” on it for days you successfully completed your task?
…Is much harder to ignore, swipe-hide, or pretend not to see.
Digital is great. But, sometimes, analog is better. Worth considering.
P.s. Something like this. With big “X’s” on it for every day you complete the task. Placed strategically where the task is supposed to happen each day. For me? By my bed. So that every day I get out of bed before a certain time, I can “X” that puppy and get a streak going.
I started meditating a whole lot more once I stopped trying to do it perfectly.
What I realized is that a quiet corner, meditation pillow, and chunk of uninterrupted time aren’t required.
What’s required is an intention. Period.
Now, I meditate while walking, driving, waiting in lines, you name it…
What the intention does is declare to your mind that you’re now entering a different way of being. Without it, your mind will unconsciously continue to rambunctiously act non-meditatively—as it always does.
It’s like flipping a mind switch.
Once that switch is turned on and the light of your consciousness turns inward, you can begin to notice the urges that come up (that try to break you away from your meditation/presence), and focus on returning to your practice for as long as you may.
And suddenly, once you realize that a flip of the switch is all that’s required, meditation goes from another task you try to stressfully add to your already busy day—to an easily-intertwined-throughout-your-whole-day kind of task.
There are so many applications for this strategy in life.
P.s. When I do sit down to meditate, I use brain.fm to filter out invasive external noises. I’m a raving fan and currently on a 20-week use streak.