The struggle is real
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."
-James Clear
This is one of my favorite quotes of the year. Let me tell you why. I used to work for the outcomes. I was pushing for that next promotion, for a raise, for finishing that half-marathon, for going on that next vacation, buying the house, and so on. But there is always that next thing, and I wasn't satisfied when I crossed even one of those things off my bucket list. Still worse, if I failed to achieve any of those goals, the guilt and frustration I had with myself ramped up. The self loathing, why can't you do those things like everyone else. Along the way though, I flipped my thinking. Instead of working hard for the goal, I now work hard for the struggle to the goal. The goal may never happen, and that's okay.
Having systems in place is a game changer. I can daydream and plan all day long. I can think about what could be or how I could make one tweak that would change everything. In the midst of all those big dreams, life happens. Chaos ensues. My kids get sick. My husband tears his ACL. My manager leaves the company which creates a domino effect of other departures and big upheaval. I take on more responsibilities. Above all that static and noise that life hurls in front of me, I have my systems. I have made a plan and it's simple- do the habits. I go for my runs, I lift the weights, I write every day, I read a book a week, I invest our savings, and I prepare myself for that next big leadership role. I have built in a cadence for all these activities, and then I simply execute. There is no surge of motivation needed other than the belief that actions compound over time getting me closer to my big audacious goals. I don't know how this is all going to turn out, will I reach my goals? I don't even think about that anymore because I am enjoying the fact that I have managed to do these habits even when life has thrown me curve balls. And so what if it takes me five years to learn Spanish, or to get down to my optimal weight, or build 1,000 followers for my newsletter. I know I will have learned a hell of a lot along the way and will only be better and stronger.
There are many thought leaders who have helped me change my thinking along the way. James Clear gave me the foundation I needed for building habits the right way, ones that will last longer than the initial excitement of doing something new. Tim Ferris has taught me how to learn something new, how to achieve the results I want in a fraction of the time, and that self-experimentation is the key to getting it right. Gary Keller taught me to pair down my to-list and work on the one thing that if accomplished, would make everything else unnecessary. Csikszentmihalyi taught me how to get into a flow state, which is the happiest place you can be.
All I can say is sit down and make a plan. Start small. Think of your goals. Then think of one or two things, small things, you can do each and every day to achieve that goal. Then focus on that. And don't take days off. By that I mean, if you want to read three times a week, then do it three times a week rain or shine. Start tracking your habit. Record what actions you take. You will be less likely to break the chain of taking the action if you can see it recorded. Once you have one habit in motion, you can layer on more. That's it, it is really that simple!