34. Having it easy

There is this cyclical vision of how history creates the people we are. Coined by G. Michael Hopf, the quote goes as follows:

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

This is an encouragement for when I am in those rough moments in life- I am curating strength in my character. On the flip side of this, I must recognise the complacency in my actions, when I get too comfortable, and whether I am staying stagnant.

Bring on the hard times!

33. Giving our best

I was walking down the street the other day and I bumped into a mate of mine who hadn't seen in a while. As you do I initiated the casual, “How are you doing? What's going on in your life? Any news or changes?”

He said he'd got a new job. Me being interested I asked some more about it, what it was about, and then ultimately how is he enjoying it?

The response I received stuck with me and is a phrase that prompted this article. He said that his job was;

minimum wage and therefore that equaled the minimum effort

And I was like, whoa- ‘do we change how we represent ourselves dependent on the amount of reward we get?’

Because in a workspace, this is what behaviour we are led to believe.

You're there for a very long time. It's quite draining. So ultimately, motivation at a lower income level is not going to be as apparent so you simply don’t do much other than clock in and clock out.

But I think this is a dangerous game to play, especially outside of work, as you become reliant on external stimulus for motivation.

I think if we only ever do things for money, success or for people’s approval I believe we're going to be viewed in a worse light. With these as motivators we are too changeable and cannot be trusted as you can always be bought out and uproot your position because you don’t care about the why.

We need to detach the notion that we are entitled to success and simply fall in love with the process.

Don't get me wrong success is great and a brilliant motivator, but I think having the integrity and the desire to do whatever task we are given to the best of our ability shows so much character.

Imagine whenever you have gone to a restaurant and it has been a really good experience- It probably wan’t just the food that made it a good time. A waiter going above and beyond their job title to make sure that you have a brilliant experience is something that really sticks with me. Often hospitality gets a bad reputation but it can be done so well and everyone appreciates it.

I think we have to get off our high horses thinking that we are too good to help or work in a situation.

It doesn't have to be purely for money either- it can actually just be that we want to make a difference and we want to do justice with the situation we have.

Thinking to the flip side of being payed poorly and you get payed a lot you will still struggle if that is your sole motivator.

Let's say, for example, you had a massive salary, a job comes your way- you are probaly going to feel so pressured because you equate effort with reward. You will feel like you will have to massively step up your game and potentially burn out or doubt your ability.

There is a better way.

Imagine you are working in a consistent style, with a consistent way of thinking, and with a consistent attitude and effort given. You give your best all the time not worrying about the results.

And what happens?

You get good at your craft; making the person you want to be, falling in love with the process and that is then rewarded with more money.

Or alternatively you very quickly work out if that thing you tried working at is not for you because you give your best. It’s the half hearted attitude that we never get anywhere nor have the capacity to be content.

I think we just need to make sure our day-to-day efforts are a reflection of us. I imagine it like this: If I were to live the way I lived today, everyday, then upon my death I looked back and reflected would I be proud of my actions?

It’s a strong challenge right?

Being your best in even the small things alleviates stress because you don’t have to worry what else you could’ve done- no matter the outcome. It curates a character that is able to take on bigger situation as you know how to handle yourself. And it ultimately just shows better character.

So go out there and give life your best.

32. Planning

As the age old saying goes, ‘If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail’

I found this especially true this week.

I'd gone so consistent with the habit of doing daily writing that I had just got quite comfortable in the fact I could bang out a blog the day of that I didn't actually ever prepare anything ahead of time.

Then guess what; I started getting busy- complacency slipped in.

I just left it because ultimately, I hadn't prepared anything.

I'd gone home from a nine-hour shift and the last thing I wanted to do was boot up the laptop and post a blog- but I could have! If only I had planned ahead. The mountain which seemed like assembling some words would have been much easier.

When it comes to getting things we want it is the resistance in us to simply sit down and focus that stops us. We just don't want to do the work.

I have come to recognise that the work isn't going anywhere.

If there is a big goal I want to achieve there are two choices: 1) I can shrug off doing work, or, 2) I can remove the resistance (prepare a plan) and make it as easy as I can to simply just start the work.

Planning ahead and preparing just makes everything a whole bunch easier. You're doing the inevitable thing that you're going to do, but just earlier.

You're planning prevents you from having all the stress doubt that comes with rushing right before a deadline or even missing the deadline completely.

So when it comes to knowing what you have to do- just do it! (cliche I know).

So yeah, you need to make sure you aren't planning ahead, maybe write down what are you going to achieve in the next day or what do you want to achieve?

I'm a big fan of the old to-do lists but there are good and bad approaches to them. I personally have found the days which they don't go so well are when I'm writing them on the same day and loading them with so much I can never achieve anything. Alternatively, the best times are when I've planned ahead- I know what I'm doing ahead of time. I've got a concise, small amount of things to do.

This then lends itself to unrelenting focus and (hopefully) completion.

The thing I struggle with is having lots of ideas bubbling around in my head.

I don't want to have this focus and actually do the stuff necessary to continue because I believe I’ve got the next best thing traveling around my head.

Take for example writing a blog. I can be halfway through one and get to a certain writer's block moment yet, then in my head, I have five different offer ideas for things that feel in the moment. These to me are much more interesting than my current one and can lead to distraction.

It is because in our imagination we can always dream up a better version of something- something smarter, funnier, or more popular. Yet it is perfectionism that leads to paralysis and daydreaming.

The key is to put them aside, maybe write them down, and then go on relented unrelentingly at the plan that I have. Dedicate specific time to think and mull over things but when you work, you work.

Adapting and changing is really good too. When I say unrelentingly work I believe that in our attention rather than in our approach. We have to be agile and able to try new things but ultimately when we say we're going to do things we have to do them.

So failure to prepare for that is actually a failure of being organised. It signifies that we don't know what we're doing when we're simply winging it. It signifies we don't really care because we're not putting time in beforehand.

For that work meeting, you need to have made notes beforehand. For that event you're going to, you need to know the dress code. For that daily blog you're writing, you need to be doing a blog ahead.

It's small, different preparations that actually signify you're in it for the long haul and notify others that this isn't just a temporary thing, this is a lifestyle. That’s how you gain respect. Consistently prepared and ready for situations you are in because you care for them not just now but long into the future.

So put in the work in the preparation and it'll pay dividends in your success later on.