I’ve recently realized that I basically have everything I wanted out of life. This is both incredibly fulfilling, and strangely challenging. What do I struggle for now? What gets me out of bed? What am I working towards?
Growth.
The first stage of life is foundational: learning who I am, and where I fit in this world. Building my credentials. Landing the job. Finding my spouse. Getting our finances off to a good start. Acquiring a home, and furnishing it. Cars. Launching a business. Finding hobbies that ignite passion. Collecting the gear.
Now that I have everything in place it is time to grow. The goal of “getting in” is behind me. Now the goal is to “get better.” Get better at my job. Get better at being a husband. Become a better dad. Grow the business into something sustainable. Improve as a rock climber. I have a foundation laid, now let’s build something.
First things first: start my day with intention and focus.
The problem I’m finding with the “get better” phase of life is that it is less defined. There’s no graduation to work towards. No big moment where an offer letter appears. No proposal or ceremony or first ultrasound. It’s a lot easier to put off “getting better” because there doesn’t seem to be a finite checklist to get from “here” to “there.”
I can be better tomorrow. Take it easy today. Relax. You worked hard, chill out.
One of my core beliefs is that we need to set ourselves up for success. If I’m trying to improve my health and I stock my pantry with cookies and potato chips, I’m only making it harder to succeed. Instead, I should cultivate an environment where improving at each of the big areas of my life is the default – make “getting better” more natural than putting it off.
I’ve found that the key for me is to start each day with a carefully-designed ritual. I need to spend a couple hours investing in myself before I start the hard work of the day. My ritual launches me into the day with energy and enthusiasm, making it just a little easier to convince myself to do the hard work of growing: finding ways to be just a little better today than I was yesterday.
It doesn’t matter what you do. Your ritual probably isn’t the same as mine. Here’s what brings me joy and energy these days:
- Wake.
- Meditate: about 10 minutes.
- Yoga: 15 minutes or so.
- Make coffee while listening to something inspirational (podcast).
- Read a nonfiction book that sparks growth.
- Write.
- Engage with my online community.
- Check the news.
- Family time.
- Breakfast.
I wake up about two hours before everyone else in my house, and spend the first part of my day working down this list. After breakfast I am ready to take on the day and do the hard work of growing.
Your turn.
What’s your ritual? What do you do that gets you started on the right track? Maybe it’s time to join in a discussion with other growth-oriented people as a member of the free Intentional Academy Community. Details here:
https://www.intentionalacademy.com
See you there my friend!
