Weekend Warrior: daily habits likely have a bigger impact on our life
A weekend warrior is better than no warrior at all. But a better option is to do a little bit each day: a little exercise, a little writing, a little connecting with others, a little healthy eating.
Naturally, many of us want the easy path to success, health, and happiness: a pill that improves our health, one workout to rule them all, a supplement to improve our focus, a cure-all for our maladies. I just saw a segment on Today that talked about research from the British Journal of Medicine: the research found that calcium supplements offer little or no improvement to our bone density.
That segment made me think: our habits, the choices we make, the activities that we do shape our current existence in the world. If we make small choices to build helpful habits, they add up to a big impact; when we wait and try to do it (the exercise, the eating healthy, the "good" habits) all at once, we are overwhelmed. Too much schoolwork to read, too much to do at work, too big a deficit in our relationships--in that sense of overwhelm, we are more likely to quit: to say it won't work, to throw in the towel.
This Seth Godin blog post offers some examples of small choices that add up to major accomplishments:
Abbey Ryan has painted a new painting every day for 8 years.
Isaac Asimov published 400 books, by typing every day.
This is post #6000 on this blog.
Writer's block is a myth, a recent invention, a cultural malady.
More important than the output, though, is the act itself. The act of doing it every day. When you commit to a practice, you will certainly have days when you don't feel like it, when you believe it's not your best work, when the muse deserts you. But, when you keep your commitment, the muse returns. When you keep your commitment, the work happens.
It doesn't matter if anyone reads it, buys it, sponsors it or shares it. It matters that you show up.
Show up, sit down and type. (Or paint).
Could it be as simple as making a choice today, building a new habit? It seems that we just need to start: take the first step, however small, and the next step. Soon, we will have a life to be proud of, a life that we shape, rather than one shaped by our regrets. What habit(s) will help you build the life you want for yourself?
Start now and avoid a question years from now: what if I had only...?
