I have never worked a full-time job in my life. There are plenty of pros and cons that come along with that, but it’s a tradeoff I continue to be willing to make. My primary rationale is that I have a limited amount of time in this life, and I value spending it on my other interests more than I value making as much money as I can. I can’t imagine capably pursuing my goals while forfeiting 40 hours each week.
I have big goals, there are a lot of them, and they are time-consuming. Last week, I wrote about the process I use to decide what those goals will be. But at an even more basic level, I have chosen to shape my life around those goals. I don’t contend that this is the “correct” way to do things or cast any sort of judgement at those who decide otherwise. Because ultimately I believe that all of us face a similar challenge on varying scales - how to devote the proper time to things we want to do or improve amidst all of our existing obligations.
But no step is too small.
There is the 1 percent rule of compounding efforts. Cousin to the 21 day rule of creating habits. All of these catchy, self-help buzzwords to tell us something that is rather obvious.
If you do something intentionally and consistently, even if it seems small, it will make a significant difference.
This concept is currently manifesting in my life in the form of meditation. For months now, I’ve been have trouble mentally letting go of things, both important and trivial. My mind will fixate and impair my ability to do anything else. But the role of meditation in my life has always been most beneficial is simply returning me to presence and releasing intrusive thoughts.
So perhaps it was downright foolish not to focus on this practice immediately when this problem arose. In just the past two weeks, meditating for 5-10 minutes (nearly) every day, I’ve noticed a real difference in my ability to let go and move on.
It is not a cure. It’s management. And it must continue. The key to little improvements is always in the consistency.
If you want to read more books, start with five pages every night - not very much, but if you do it EVERY night that adds up to 10 books a year, which is more than most people. You’d be amazed how much progress can be made, especially if you are currently neglecting working out, by simply starting your day with 50 pushups and 50 pullups.
I am guilty of quite often deciding that if I don’t have the time and effort available to go all-in, then why bother at all. But it’s not possible to go all-in on more than a couple of things at once. So filling out our lives with small, appreciable habits provide a healthy working foundation from which to attack the “all-ins.”
We all have too much going on and too little time. Most more so than I. There is no shame in holding back from committing to your huge time-consuming goal because it just wouldn’t fit into your life right now. But carve out a few minutes - every day - and start small.
You can make bigger changes than you think.
50 pull-ups a day is a small thing?! Idk about that… ;) I am trying to implement this mindset with my daily devotions. Start small. A few sections. It’s doable, I feel guilty when I don’t do it because it is so manageable, and I feel fulfilled after I read. Maybe I’ll work on some push ups next…