4/11/19 19:05
In all openness and transparency, I’m sharing these personal and professional thoughts with the world for a mutual benefit. I’m a speaker who wishes to move the hearts of the masses. Documenting the information that I have written in my journals and saved in the fathomless number of memories contained within my mind will serve me in the future—I can feel it. It’s going to be what my good friend, Cody, describes as a “triangular flow of beneficial actions”, which looks like this on paper:
Blogging ⇒ Freelance Writing ⇒ Speaking Career
Each action will serve the other. The visual makes it seem like a linear relationship, but it is certainly cyclical. Each opportunity to speak will, no doubt, create greater stories in greater numbers because it’s highly likely that I’ll be witnessing other people speak as well.
CMR
“If we do this one small, uncomfortable thing every day, then we can reap the benefits of stepping into that discomfort earlier in life.”
Therefore, the speaking will add fuel to the power of this collection. I wish I could aptly describe the elation I’ve been experiencing in preparation of these action steps. It is an ideal set up that I’ve had before but lost due to changing wants within my own life. Do you have a setup that you’ve created in your life similar to this? Do you do a thing that serves you in doing another thing at a higher level of excellence which serves you in doing something else with a greater level of skill or results? Are you a game tester? If you are, I’d bet you play games all the time outside of work. Are you an athlete? If you are, I’d bet that you don’t only train on the field/court/rink.
I feel like this is what entrepreneurs mean when they say that you get to work toward your dream every hour of every day. They don’t mean to practice that one thing all day; they mean to do things all day that move you toward your dream. Even my daily activities can be broken down in such a way that you can see the result-generating potential. I provided the above “triangle of benefit” earlier to explain a general point. However, the breakdown would have a bunch of items outside of this formula. For example:
- I read a book on speaking, personal growth, or money management every month, which gives me additional knowledge and wisdom to place in my arsenal.
- I workout 3 or 4 times a week, which keeps my brain sharp and my body healthy.
- I meditate and/or recite daily affirmations often, which brings focus to the present and a visualization of the future.
I’m sure I could go full analyzer on my full daily/weekly schedule, but it wouldn’t strengthen the point I’m attempting to get across.
At every time of the day, we can do seemingly small things that serve us in the long run. Stephen Covey calls these “Quadrant II” activities from his interpretation of how [important and urgent] tasks are in his famous book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. They might be comfortable; they might be uncomfortable. These particular tasks have much importance within the span of your life, but they lack urgency in the present moment. For instance, taking a cold shower early in the morning. That sounds uncomfortable, and it is, but it is many times more beneficial than a hot shower. If we do this one small, uncomfortable thing every day, then we can reap the benefits of stepping into that discomfort earlier in life.
My friend, Ben, says it best: ‘Consistent action toward creating gives you the confidence and the competence to create more of what you want in life.’ Are there little things you can do between the big things that matter? Yes, every day. Are there things on which we can put the time in to move us forward every day? Absolutely. Can these things directly affect each other by being indirectly connected? I don’t enjoy using this word, but they not only could—they should. The greater the degree of interconnection between the things we spend our time doing, the greater our level of success will be.
Leading the inspired by inspiring leadership. 