Change starts within

Change is inevitable, constant, and necessary.

And when you think about being an agent of change, there is one simple thing that is worth remembering: start with yourself.

Changing yourself is possible, it is under your control, and chances are that by changing yourself you are also going to change the people and the world around you.

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.

Rumi

Not like all others

Today is not a post like all others.

Because today I was given an award, and an unusual amount of people have turned their attention to my blog.

For a moment there I panicked. What am I going to write about? What can I say that is more meaningful than what I usually say? How can I make sure that I make no mistakes, that I find perfect words, that I give people what they want to read? How bad would it be to skip just one day?

And despite those thoughts still being there, I am happy I did not let them hold me back. I am happy I did not hide. Having a practice you can fall back on is comforting. It helps you fight resistance.

Tomorrow I will still be writing. That’s all that matters.

As little as possible

We worry about outcomes, about others, about our thoughts, about others’ thoughts. About projects and plans. About the world, the media, and the result of elections thousands of kilometres away. About feelings, about effects. About the presentation we are giving tomorrow. About the email we are about to send. About the future of our kids and of humanity in general. About the pandemic. About our favourite team. About the next job. About not having a job.

We worry about this and much more. And we gradually wear off.

Make worry last as little as possible.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows. It empties today of its strength.

Corrie Ten Boom

First, then

First perfect the making of the dough, then go buy the perfect oven and tools to cook the best pizza.

First learn to communicate transparently and effectively, then go buy the app that makes your company more open and inclusive.

First establish a practice of running, then go buy the equipment that will make you feel more like a pro.

It’s easier to start with the details that embellish the core. It makes us feel as if we are doing something important, as if we are going in the right direction. But if you do not get the core right, you have nothing to fall back onto when you realize details are just details.

The most important person

The most important person in the world is you.

There is no job that will make you feel great, successful, complete if you are not well.

There is no relationship that will make you feel appreciated, rewarded, loved if you are not well.

There is no friend that will make you feel important, happy, improved if you are not well.

Take good care of yourself. Before you reach out, before you help, before you start, before anything else.

Take good care of yourself and make a practice of it.

You will always be ready.