#75 2 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Project

ByLukas
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Habits are hard to build. But there’s one that’s easy to get used to: starting a new project, then giving up.

Sometimes it’s better not to start at all, so you avoid reinforcing a quitter’s identity: I’ve given up so many times in the past, I’ll probaby give up again.

So how do you know which projects are worth starting?

Ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Is this something I really want? Something that’s good for me AND feasible in the short/medium/long term? (Trust of Intention)
  2. Am I prepared to go through a phase where the sole purpose is building a habit without caring about improving or marking much progress? (Trust of Completion)

If the answer to both questions is yes, you’re onto something.

If not, you’re setting yourself up for frustration.

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#330 You only need one

ByLukas

You only need to stick to one new habit to prove to yourself that you can change.

One habit. One small activity. One Teeny Tiny Trust Builder where you don’t give up, but stay on track.

Why would you make this hard on yourself?

Write one sentence a day.

Learn one word a day.

Meditate for 1 minute.

Make it ridiculously small if you want.

But stick with it.

Stick with it on day one. And the next day. And the next. And also on the day when the universe seems to conspire against you.

Stick with it, because that one silly little activity can be the start of a changed life.

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#227 Could a changed past set me free?

ByLukas

Which conclusions did I draw from past experiences?

Have I overreacted to petty events, and ignored beautiful moments?

Have I deleted memories? Maybe invented some?

Have I built stories based on generalizations?

Most importantly: how does the past I still feel affect my actions today?

And if I know a lot of it was my own interpretation… could I change my past, or at least what it means to me?

Would that set me free?

I was undoubtedly in a pensive mood when writing this.

I guess, given the daily letters I send you, you might conclude I’m in a pensive mood every day.

And you wouldn’t be wrong.

But pensive moods can be useful – when they’re coupled with conclusions and insights. Maybe even with Tiny Trust Builders.

And if any of these questions help you re-interpret your past and set you free, too, I’ll be a happy man.

A wistful win-win.

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#105 The Fulfillment Formula

ByLukas

My sense of fulfillment comes from taking daily actions that are aligned with a personal philosophy and a purpose I intentionally determine.

As life unfolds, my purpose can change. My values can change. I can feel over the moon, dreadful, and everything in between.

My daily actions can change (and they certainly won’t always be aligned with my personal philosophy).

But the fulfillment formula always stays the same.

Are the majority of my daily actions in alignment with my purpose, values, and the identity I want to forge?

A consequence of this formula: Without clear purpose, without consciously choosing values or designing a personal philosophy, without knowing what you stand for and who you choose to be, it’s hard to feel fulfilled.

In short: intentional, aligned, disciplined living and identity building helps to feel fulfilled.

#407 You won’t achieve your greatest desires

ByLukas

Writing every day won’t always help you achieve your greatest desires.

But it might help you lose them — when you realize that what you really wanted was not the outcome, but the feeling of consciously choosing who you want to be, and consciously acting in alignment with that choice.

Once the desires have fallen away, all that remains is the fulfillment every day.

You can relax now.

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