#498 Perfectly flawed

Achieving an outcome without the daily actions that lead to an identity shift is empty and unsustainable.

I may want to publish a book. But if someone writes the whole book without my input and I put my name on it in the end, do I deserve to call it my book?

I have a book. But I’m not a writer. And I’m not an author.

I may want to have a million dollars. But if tomorrow I win the lottery or receive a large inheritance without any action from my side, what does that mean?

I have a million dollars. But I’m not wealthy – and research suggests that without proper guidance, I’ll spend it all, ending up back at square one.

It works the other way around, too. You can blindly chase an outcome (or slip into bad habits) without considering how the actions you need to take to get there will change you as a person.

Depending on your actions to get there, chasing fame can make you happy – or very unhappy. Writing a book can make you happy or very unhappy. Building a hugely successful company can make you happy or very unhappy.

The value, satisfaction, and resentment are all in the actions, not the outcome.

When you’re having a busy day and life gets in the way, writing one word can make all the difference.

One minute of running makes all the difference.

Thirty seconds of meditating.

Ten seconds of stretching.

One second of envisioning who you want to be.

That’s all it takes to change how you feel about yourself and who you are.

Because now, instead of giving up, you’re still on track.

It’s that easy.

We cling the most, not to our prized possessions we worked hard to obtain, but to the painful patterns that both hurt us AND keep us comfortable.

Some questions to ask yourself today:

Who do I want to be?

Which actions will turn me into the person I want to be?

Which actions STOP me from turning into that person I want to be?

Which of my actions, habits, and tendencies am I frustrated about, but simultaneously perpetuating?

Which painful patterns am I scared to let go of because they have been instrumental in making me who I am today?

Goals make you write every day and enjoy the process, even if you’ll never publish a book.

Goals make you practice yoga and get to know your body, even if you’ll never be able to be in that ultimate pose.

Goals makes you help someone and learn to give and contribute, even if your help ultimately doesn’t get them to the place they wanted to go.

Goals don’t predict outcomes. Because the purpose of a goal is not to achieve it, but to set the direction of your life.

It gives you the fuel to start taking action, and the guidance to make sure that action is intentional.

I don’t know about you, my friend, but to me, that’s a fulfilling thought.