#181 You’re never done

The outcome is not the book.
The outcome is not the marathon.
The outcome is not the successful business.

The outcome is not even the daily habit you form, even though they’re the stepping stones you need.

The outcome is the embodiment of the changes we’ve internalized, the growth we’ve experienced, and the evolution we’ve undergone, allowing us to say, “This is what I now stand for. This is what I believe is possible.”

The outcome is the identity.

Maybe it’s less about “What do I want to achieve?” and more about “What do I want to believe?”

“Write 3 pages of Stream of Consciousness journaling.”

“Coming up with 100 things to be grateful about.”

“Publish a daily insight.”

My initial reaction, and maybe yours, is, “That’s so much.”

And that’s exactly the point.

It IS a lot.

But actually, it isn’t.

And when you try it out, and see that it isn’t, you’ve shattered the illusion of scarcity and discovered abundance.

Maybe we humans are wired to believe in scarcity and fighting over sparse food.

And while that may serve us well, in many endeavors, there’s much more abundance than we think.

If your gut reaction was, “That’s so much,” I invite you to try it out.

Write down what the voice in your head talks about for 3 entire pages.

Write down 100 things you’re grateful for.

Challenge the scarcity mindset.

There may well be abundance on the other side.

We get hungry and look for food. Then we get hungry again.

We get thirsty and look for water. Then we’re thirsty again.

We want to create art and learn how to sing. Then we want to create more and learn how to draw.

Full satisfaction with our life as it is is an illusion. Desire will always be there, even if we think we’ve reached all our goals.

Without a gap between what we do and what we want to do, what we have and what we want, who we are and who we want to be, life becomes meaningless.

With that knowledge, how can we still be fulfilled?

The fulfillment formula may help:

Regardless of outcomes and results, are the majority of your daily actions in alignment with your purpose, values, and the identity you want to forge?

There is no such thing as “abstaining from voting” in life.

Whether I decide to write today or not, I’m living my life and voting for an identity.

Whether I decide to do yoga today or not, I’m living a life and voting for an identity.

Whether I eat healthily today or not, I’m living my life and voting for an identity.

Whether I spend time with my family or not, I’m living my life and voting for an identity.

Voting is compulsory. Voting is inevitable.

You might as well do it intentionally.