one of the main things I’ve learned is that your notebook is exactly what you put into it.
The three commitments
I’m terrible at goal setting but still aspire to get better at it. This recent reflection was more about connecting to who I am. During the process, three things came to mind. So here are my commitments to myself (and, in a way, to you):
Trust. I will never betray the trust of a reader, friend, or confidante even when it furthers my own ambitions — especially then. I will always seek to be honest in all things I do and say. When things are obscure, I will seek to make them as clear as possible, so no assumptions are made.
Integrity. I will be who I say I am, and when I am not, I will admit it. I will live by my values as best I understand them. I will not lead a divided life and will not betray my conscience, even when doing so could lead to more success. For me, this means that I am a creative who runs a business, not a CEO who happens to write. And that distinction is important to me.
Generosity. I will commit myself to serving the needs of others, which means first taking care of myself both spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I will give my best to my family, friends, community, and readers (in that order). I recognize that my life is not about me, but that my gifts are meant to be given away.
translate your growing knowledge of something hard into a concrete form and you’re more likely to keep investing the mental energy needed to keep learning
Last month I wrote about the 3 things you need to give yourself the best shot at accomplishing your goals:
Clarity – A focused sense of what you’re trying to accomplish.
Consistency – The grind of stacking small wins on top of small wins, day after day.
Community – Leaning on friends when you don’t feel like hustling.
Those are great c words, but there’s one that is straight poison and social media unfortunately serves it up by the gallon.I’m talking about comparison.
I don’t know about you, but every January I need to remind myself that comparison leads to arrogance or shame, but never happiness.