The Practice
Doing things day in and day out is not very sexy or fun. To most people it’s a complete turnoff.
Yet, any successful people you know all have daily discipline. It’s a practice.
Here is a definition of practice:
“The customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing of something.”
When we apply this to how we live our lives around anything worth doing you can see where “practice” is the key to success.
There is a reason sports teams practice all week and then have a game. It’s this preparation that gives them the best chance at performing well on game day.
Let’s take getting in or staying in shape. Getting up daily to workout, meal prep, and meditation is a practice and just like the definition above its customary or habitual.
What if you want to be a better leader? What would you need to do daily to become that?
What if you want to be a better husband or wife?
What if you want to have a stronger mindset?
The answer to all the questions above is completely different and the same. You have to have a practice to make any of those changes and they need to be done daily. Although the mechanics are different you still need the daily practice.
This is why few people are financially independent and few people are in good shape physically. It takes consistent work and in today’s world we are being told more and more we don’t need to do the tough things.
Let me give you an example, a friend of my son who is 26 years old and has a baby was struggling to find a good job. He finally gets one that pays well and has great benefits. But guess what? He has to work hard. Long days but good pay. He now has a chance to build a life for his family. So, after 2 weeks what is he considering? Quitting and going back to his previous job which paid minimum wage.
This hits home for me because at 21 years old I had a baby, no college degree, and no help from anyone. My family said you dug this hole good luck getting out of it. I worked the shitty part time jobs while trying to figure things out. I wanted to provide the best I could even though I was completely clueless. The only thing I knew I could do was work. The whole time I wanted more and worked to get it but not once did I think I could quit because “it was too hard”. Today quitting and expecting someone else to take care of you is acceptable.
Did I have people that helped me along the way? Yes, I did, but that was because they knew I was trying to better myself and not looking for a handout. I made a million mistakes along the way and still do but I am responsible for myself. My wife is 100% independent because she grew up like me, scrapping to get by. We dug that hole together and we got out. Again, I am not perfect by any stretch but quitting is never an option.
This is where “The Practice” comes in. What you are willing to do daily to get better at whatever you want is the key to long term success.
Regardless, of what it is you want to improve on take an inventory of what needs to change and be done on a daily basis to make this happen.
Once you have this figured out comes the tough part, sticking to it daily. Doing it when you don’t feel like it. I don’t always feel like working out at 5am but when I am done not once have I said, I wish I skipped that today.
What practice do you need to start to change your life for the better?
