“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being
able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being
able to remake ourselves.” Mahatma Gandhi
“Change yourself and fortune will change with you.” Portuguese Proverb
To make you a better you, you will need to follow some time-tested
principles of growth and improvement.
1. Renewal
Abraham Lincoln said, “If I had eight hours to cut down a
tree, I would spend seven sharpening my ax.” His words are not so much a lesson
on preparation but on renewal. An ax that has become dull needs sharpening. Each
part of our nature is just like the ax.
As we use it to accomplish our purposes, it becomes dull. In response, we must
halt from accomplishing those purposes in order to renew our ABILITY to
accomplish those purposes.
Remember, when left unattended:
The body becomes weary.
The mind becomes obsolete.
The heart becomes lonely.
The spirit becomes calloused.
Renew these things, in order to continue getting the kinds
of results you want. Remember that second law of thermodynamics. If you leave
your ambitions alone, without constant attention, they will tend to become
disordered.
1.1 Consistency
Just like any muscle building, you need consistency.
Remember how we talked about how going to the gym once or twice a month is not
going to build strong muscles? Entering into that family gym, that emotional
gym, or that spiritual gym only a few times a month is not going to cut it
either. We are going to need consistency to build any type of substance.
Use any tool that you have at your disposal. A ribbon on
your finger, an alarm, a buddy,.. use anything available to you to develop
CONSISTENT action.
2. Progression
Progression in the area of exercise is something that people
seem to struggle with. It is laughable to think about my own self in this.
Getting frustrated with my lack of self-discipline, I would go out and run 5
five miles one day, only to rest for the remainder of the week. Swear off carbs
for a week, only to welcome them back the next. I hope you find that funny, but
I furthermore hope you can relate. I think you can.
Progression is a gift. It allows us to bite off an amount
that we can adequately chew and swallow before proceed to take the next bite.
It is just like the old saying, “What is the best way to eat an elephant? One
bite at a time.” This makes our mission
more accomplishable. We have only to craft our strategy around that principle.
The other fortunate thing about progression is that it can be fun.
3. Fun
I like to think in terms of this saying, “If you are not
having fun, you are not doing it right.” Who is to say that those little bites
of progression that we are taking cannot be fun and tasty? Dale Carnegie chose
to say it this way, “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they
are doing.”
This can be quite frustrating to the strict disciplinarian,
but quite liberating for the normal person. I enjoy a good game of racquetball
with friends a few times a week. We end up sweaty and gasping for air after
about an hour. Its fun!
If you are getting burnt out, perhaps you should learn to
give it your 80%. Use that other 20% to laugh at yourself. It works. Are we
having fun yet?
4. Individuality
Individual differences are important. We will not all arrive
at each of our destinations via the same means. Every person is different. One
person learns by reading, another by practicing, and another by watching. One
person stays in shape with jogging, while the other rides a bike. Because of we are different; we must not
always conform to the socially prevalent methods of renewing ourselves.
You do not have to use crossfit to get into shape. You don’t
have to attend graduate school to get smart. YOU choose how you develop your
nature, based on what works for YOU. Don’t buy the social standard. Take the
time. Follow correct principles, and make your own standard.
Hoorah?
5. Failure
The Tony Robbins quote does justice this principle. “Good
judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.” There are
other methods of gaining experience then strictly through failure, but
sometimes failure is the fastest.
If you have ever spent hours of deliberation thinking over
what a person’s response may be to your proposal, then you know that only a few
minutes of proposing the idea is much faster. How many things do we go without
because we don’t ask? How much feedback do we lose because we are afraid to
fail? NOTE the word: Feedback. Use this word in place of failure …for the rest
of your life.
How will you know your best learning style? You may have to
fail a few times. Those hundreds of books on your shelf that you have not read
are basically one hundred feedbacks. Don’t feel guilty about it, because it has
provided you with valuable information. Use it, or it may truly be a failure. And
if you don’t read books well, try an audio book, a documentary, or videos on
youtube.
6. Cost/Reward ration
Keep your eye out for activities that cost you little but
reward you a lot. This works especially well in relationships. For example, a
kind word costs you very little but can go a long way in strengthening a
relationship. Don’t forget the words of Mother Teresa, “Kind words can be short
and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
Exercise may cost you 30-40 minutes a day but has a host of
rewards that make it worthwhile. A few minutes a day looking at your goals
costs you very little, but realigns you with your mission. Learning to cook
healthy meals can be fun and is beneficial for the whole family.
There are exceptions though. Not all cost/reward ratios are
going to be low. Sometimes we will have to climb mountains to get what we want.
It is wise to make habit of low cost high reward activities in daily life. However,
when the time comes, take the path of most resistance.
Carve your own path. Be consistent and progressive. Have
fun. Enjoy feedback, not failure. Finally, no matter how many times you are
knocked off your feet, ALWAYS get back up.
-Strength of GIF
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