The Looking Glass is a weekly newsletter of timeless wisdom for you to ponder on your journey of growth. I hope you find great value here.
#17 – 19 Aug 2022
Hello friends,
Thanks again for being here!
Here’s an insight, a question, and a quote I reflected on over the last week.
💡 Commit for the long haul
This quote from coach Rich Litvin intrigued me:
“Success often takes longer than you think, and then happens faster than you would have imagined. So you need to commit to the long haul.”
While we are down in the trenches, struggling to get our new business venture together, relationships together, or life in general together, it can feel like an eternity. We fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others who appear to have made it. We wonder, when will I get to that stage?
But then, once we finally reach some success, we zip along to the next set of challenges, and everything seems to be cruising. Those days in the trenches are a distant memory.
The contrast is incredible.
I liken this to my recent experience with a newborn baby, getting three hours of sleep a night. Every day was a struggle to front up and put on a happy face at work. The sleep deprivation was real. It felt like it would never end. I wanted to give up most days, but I pressed on with starting my coaching business.
Thankfully now I am getting much better sleep. It now seems like the last six months have flown by, and the next set of challenges now consumes me. But I made some solid progress on my business during those rough, sleep-deprived days, which has set me up for the next chapter.
This leads me to the final sentence of Rich’s quote, “So you need to commit to the long haul.”
There will always be tough times in one form or another, so as a professional, you must keep showing up and doing the work. Because good things take time, and you need to be prepared to go the distance.
❔ Deliberate choices for change
I was listening to the Lex Fridman podcast, and some words from Lex resonated with me:
“I try to be deliberate about making choices after which you will not be the same person.”
Lex referred to long-distance running and described how it had changed him.
Lex’s insight got me thinking about how we can become complacent over time. Eventually, we just do the same old things, and life can become dull without the excitement of a new challenge, particularly one which forces you to change.
These changes can range from big life changes to small daily habits. Some choices that greatly impacted me in the last five years:
- Moving to London (UK) for two years
- Getting a dog and walking every day
- Limiting TV/video to one hour a day max, replacing it with books and podcasts
- Committing to writing every day
- Capturing my insights and ideas in my Apple Notes app
- Completing coach training and starting my own business
- Starting a family
Each of these choices brought about growth in significant ways. Big changes like moving to London or starting a family are obvious in pushing you outside your comfort zone and making you a new person. Still, I have been blown away by how small habits like capturing ideas and daily writing can creep up on you and change your life’s focus.
Some new choices I am currently implementing are committing to networking with other creators online and starting by making thoughtful comments on other people’s work. I anticipate this will lead to fruitful relationships where we can support each other’s growth.
How can you be deliberate in making more choices after which you will not be the same person?
What could you implement?
💬A Quote to Ponder – Feeling demotivated?
“Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.”
James Clear
Cheers!