THREE QUOTES TO GET YOU UP OFF YOUR BUTT
When we act without intentionality, our actions lack meaning and will lack desired outcomes.
Where is the most comfortable spot in your house?
For me, it’s my yoga mat or it’s my desk chair.
We have some living room furniture and a nice tv, a great rug, a PS4, every streaming service… but I don’t spend time there.
I’ve been in the living room maybe 5 times in the past 3 months of living here and more than half of those times have been just to read a book in the side chair.
The other times? I built bookshelves once and there were a few times I ate at the dining table too.
Typically I’m eating at my desk and reading a book or working though.
That’s my style. That’s my environment.
I’m not interested in sitting around and doing things that are not challenging me, pushing me, or growing me.
I have purposely left a TV out of my bedroom.
I have purposely placed my desk behind a wall on the main floor so I cannot see the TV when I’m working.
I have purposely joined a gym within a mile of my office.
I don’t want slack time and I don’t want to be pulled in a direction that I don’t want to go.
I remember a few years ago I would spend endless hours every week on Madden or Forza. That was a LOT of fun but eventually, I just realized that I was not interested in continuing those actions without end into the future. I had to stop and replace those actions with other things.
Now I read books, I listen to audiobooks, I write these articles, and I’m in the gym at 6 am before going to the office — that’s my style.
Quote #1
“Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” — Chinese Proverb
Where are you going in life? Are you going somewhere?
Some people aren’t.
They punch in and punch out and punch in and punch out and then punch in and punch out and punch in and punch out and punch in again and finally punch out. Then it’s the weekend!
But what’s the purpose?
When we act without intentionality, our actions lack meaning and will lack desired outcomes.
The scariest thing is to simply stand still.
We are never just remaining stagnant because our environments are always in motion. Either we are moving forward or we are moving backward — because everything is only assessed in relation to something else.
Quote #2
“Ideas are worthless. Intentions have no power. Plans are nothing… unless they are followed with action.” — Michael E. Angier
Everyone dreams about something or has dreamed in the past.
But what sort of dreams have you had?
Why don’t you have them anymore?
It’s said that people overestimate what they can accomplish in 1 year and underestimate what they can accomplish in 10 years.
The best way to get started is simply to start. People learn by doing.
We can only improve upon something by doing something. There is no way to get better by doing nothing. Even if we think somebody is getting better by doing nothing — they are either actually doing something even when you don’t recognize that or you are getting worse and that makes it appear as though they are getting better.
Regardless, talk is cheap and actions matter.
“Actions speak, words whisper.”
Quote #3
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order to learn how to do it.” — Pablo Picasso
Isn’t this such a powerful way to learn? Malcolm Gladwell has talked about and extensively studied the 10,000-hour rule (that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become masterful at anything and experience true expertise or reach world-class levels).
Let’s look at the numbers for a moment here. I’m very numbers-oriented so I can break 10,000 hours into a years-based count fairly quickly but recognize not everyone can.
Working Monday through Friday for 50 weeks a year:
50 weeks * 5 days = 250 days of working each year * 4 hours a day = 1,000 hours each year = 10 years. — maybe you’re working 7–11 pm after work deliberately EVERY night.
50 weeks * 5 days = 250 days of working each year * 8 hours a day = 2,000 hours each year = 2 years. — maybe you’re working full time deliberately EVERY workday.
Working weekends for 50 weeks a year:
50 weeks * 2 days = 100 days of working each year * 5 hours a day = 500 hours each year = 20 years. — maybe you’re focusing your free time EVERY weekend to deliberate work.
50 weeks * 2 days = 100 days of working each year * 10 hours a day = 1,000 hours each year = 10 years. — maybe you’re dedicating EVERY weekend to deliberate work.
This is NOT easy. It’s not supposed to be.
Becoming world-class is not something that everyone is going to attain.
But we must work intentionally to become that which we are not today.
“Fake it until you become it.” — Amy Cuddy
We must become all that we desire to be — simply going through the motions is NEVER enough and it never has been enough.
Stay hungry
The final thought here is pretty simple — stay hungry.
We must thirst for our goals as we thirst for water.
We must hunger for our goals as we hunger for food.
We must desire our goals as we desire our paychecks.
We must crave our goals as we crave the love of an intimate partner.
We must visualize the attainment of our goals as we visualize the daily life we live.
“When you want success as bad as you want to breathe, that’s when you’ll be successful.”
If you want something — go get it. When there is no door or when you cannot make a way — God can.
“I assure you; you will never feel more powerful than when you know that people are consistently praying for you.” — Harrison Wendland
If God is on our side — there is NOTHING that we cannot do.
The best and most important thing that you can do when it comes to goal setting is to ensure that your plans and desires are aligned with those that God has for you.
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