I love how this article by Brad Stulberg sums up many of my thoughts and beliefs around practice and awareness.
The relationship between self-discipline and self-compassion is reciprocal. One feeds the other and we need to find a way to keep them in balance.
It’s the only way to avoid getting stuck.
It’s the only way to do meaningful work.
If you look around for fairness, you will find little of it.
Different people see the world in different ways, and fair becomes a fluid concept when you change perspective.
If you look inside for fairness, on the other hand, that is something you can more easily work with. You can train it, build it, apply it, and eventually spread it around. You can make it contagious, and impact those who are close to you.
And it all starts with being fair to yourself. What can you expect of you? What will you hold yourself accountable for? How will you express this to others, how will your actions impact them, and how are you going to find out?
Before asking the world to be fair, ask that of yourself. Imagine if everyone would do that.
Owning the narrative to your career (and life) has a double positive effect.
First, you get to control how people look at your profile, see you professionally, and eventually what they hire you for. There are many marketing experts, MBAs, sales reps, customer success managers. When you differentiate from the bulk and stress what makes you unique, you make a statement. People will listen if you are consistent enough.
Second, it is a great way to remember what is good and tune down what is bad. Every role, every task, every project has ups and downs, risks and opportunities. If you frame what you did within a narrative that is your own, the good will naturally emerge, and it will serve an higher purpose. Your own.
A truth of life is that, at any point in time, we leave behind a wealth of opportunities, almost infinite chances.
And a second truth of life is that we often care much more about what we are leaving behind rather than what we have with us.
I guess the point is, why are you doing what you are doing?
If it is an intentional and purposeful choice, cherish it and dedicate all yourself to it. With no regrets for what could have been, if only.
If it is not an intentional and purposeful choice, you still have a wealth of opportunities and almost infinite chances to pick from.
The time you are not answering this question is the time you will feel incomplete.
The best thing to get something done on a lazy day is to make a list.
And the best list you can do is planned, intentional, and purposeful.
Planned, because you have to prepare it in advance. To give it time to rest, to ensure you are putting some thoughts into it, to have it ready when the day kicks off.
Intentional, because you are the one in charge. Don’t make other people’s priorities get onto the list, unless you find a way to make them yours as well.
Purposeful, because the items on the list need to fit your purpose for the day. Even better if, when completed, they drop you a little bit closer to a bigger purpose.
Might work as well for not-so-lazy days after all.
You've got this 