EMAIL #168 - 8TH MAY 2022 - "ORDINARY ACTIONS CAN BECOME EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS"
Hi Team,
It is impossible to achieve any level of success without having the correct underlying habits and routines.
The importance of good habits and routines is a topic I have written about several times over the last 3 years. In emails # 41 & # 88 I outlined that good habits are the foundation to succeeding in any given field and that a consistent routine is a proven pathway to achieving your goals. Then in emails # 98 & # 125 I defined "work ethic" as a dedication to consistent effort and practice in your work and that significant success is only possible if you love your work and love the daily struggle.
So it seems that the position you are in today is the accumulation of all the small choices you have been making for years. Unfortunately, there are no short-term rewards for making good choices and there are no instant penalties for making poor choices. These things just build up over time.
"If you don't focus on what will make your life better, the best you can hope for is that your life won't get any worse." Neil Fiore
Eating an extra serve of chocolate mousse won't make you unhealthy and buying an expensive jacket on your credit card won't make you poor. But if these choices are repeated again and again over time, they will start to have a negative impact in your life. So, the small choices we make each day either work for us or against us, and we become what we repeatedly do.
Most things in life are impacted by the forces of compounding growth. Just as successful investing relies on the power of compounding interest over time, your daily choices (i.e., habits and routines) when done consistently will compound and expand over time. This growth is not noticeable day to day but becomes bigger and bigger over several years.
"A lack of consistency keeps ordinary people from extraordinary results." Unknown
The price you pay for long term results is consistently doing small positive things every day. The hard part is sticking to the plan and doing the practice, even when the results don't show any improvement. It's this hidden force of daily habits and practice that turns the ordinary into extraordinary.
A growth mindset is a necessary trait for personal improvement and eventual success and so is being able to distinguish between habits that help move you forward and habits that hold you back. "The dedication for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even when it's not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset." Shane Parish.
Thanks for reading,
Stay safe and the occasional serve of chocolate mouse is okay.
David
