Tag Archive for: Becoming

Habits

π‡πšπ›π’π­π¬!
I have a regular early morning routine.
It’s a habit of mine.
It’s precious time, to set me up for all the activities and plans for the day ahead.
I pray, meditate, read, study, ponder, plan, journal and reflect on those things that matter most.
Frequently, it is the most insightful couple of hour’s of my day.
In fact, getting up early has also become a habit of a lifetime.
At home in Scotland in our living room, we have a massive clock that hangs on our wall, above the fireplace.
In the wee small hours of every morning, it has an extremely loud TICK TOCK! Here in the Netherlands, the clock is smaller, but equally loud!
So much so, that I have for many years now reverted to placing ear plugs in each of my ears to block out the noise of the clock, during my precious morning routine.
In fact, that has become another habit of mine.
The reward is silence!
I guess I could sit elsewhere in another room perhaps, but no, my choice is always the living room, because it is comfortable there and I love to pick up a book to study!
How I love the silence of the morning.
These habits, have become part of who I am.
“Your habits shape your identity and your identity shapes your habits.” – James Clear.
Your habits shape what you will become.
I believe that one of the keys to success in life is instilling good habits.
So, what are your habits?
What regular routines do you have in your life that formulate the essence of your being?

Practice!

What makes a man or a woman a good musician?
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞.
What makes someone a good singer?
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞.
What makes someone a good footballer?
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞.
A good artist?
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞.
A good teacher?
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞.
A good boss?
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞.
A good cook?
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞.
A good missionary?
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞.
A good mum, or dad?
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞.
A good man or woman?
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞.
There is really nothing else, but 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞..
What are you becoming through your 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐞?

Be there!

𝐁𝐞 𝐭𝐑𝐞𝐫𝐞!
Whilst on a video call last night with our three grown children, my mind drifted back to when they were all much smaller.
In my minds eye, I was holding hands with our youngest daughter, walking through our beautiful park in town.
It felt like only yesterday, but 10 years have swiftly passed by.
Those tender moments are one of the sweetest, most enjoyable parts of life.
Suddenly – growing older, there can come a sense of having been there – and yet knowingly perhaps, I should have enjoyed the journey much, much more.
I’m sure those old like me, or older even – will understand my sentiment.
Life is going on all of the time.
Sometimes we are so focused on the next big thing, that we miss much of the beautiful scenery along the way.
Time with loved ones, the holidays, the picnics, the walks, the challenges are all part of π›πžπ’π§π  𝐭𝐑𝐞𝐫𝐞.
There is purpose and meaning to all that we experience and undergo in this life.
We should enjoy our children when we have them around us, as I know now, they won’t always be with us.
Back then when they were young, they not only needed us, they also wanted us too!
We live through each part of our life only once, we don’t go back, so it is vitally important that we 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆!
There are few sweeter memories than your child’s hand in yours, walking with you.
Wherever you are, π›πž 𝐭𝐑𝐞𝐫𝐞, be present and enjoy the moment, our life after all, is only a nanosecond of time.
How can you focus better, be present and be engaged in the here and now?

What do you want to become?

Are you clear about what you want to become?
Dallin H. Oaks, shared this understanding…
“A wealthy father knew that if he were to bestow his wealth upon a child who had not yet developed the needed wisdom and stature, the inheritance would probably be wasted.
The father said to his child: β€œAll that I have I desire to give youβ€”not only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am, you must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.””
I know we can all become the person we were born to be!
At home in our families, our communities and our workplaces.
When we’re desperate to become the people we were born to be, our vision changes.
What is your true identity?
What do you really want to do with your life, family and career?
Through my daily choices – who am I becoming?
Am I progressing in the right direction?
In the nanosecond of life – be mindful of what you choose to become.

Growth Rings

Every human being is also a human π’ƒπ’†π’„π’π’Žπ’Šπ’π’ˆ.
A careful study of the growth rings of a tree, always tell an interesting story.
Look carefully, it requires some close inspection.
Discovering whether any particular year provided a favourable or unfavourable period of growth, is easy to identify.
Some years, there is quite a bit of new wood added.
In other years when growth was unfavourable, only a small fraction of that amount was added.
Similarly – stop for a moment, reflect back and consider how your own life, is like the history of a tree.
There may have been years of great spurts of new growth where favourable conditions allowed you to flourish and develop.
In other years, unfavourable conditions, and experiences, may have reduced the amount of development and growth.
Wouldn’t it be fascinating if we could see our personal growth records as we are making them in our own lives, just like trees do?!
If we could see that record, perhaps we’d be much more motivated in our daily choices and decision making to make our growing conditions more favourable year on year, thus producing a fair amount of new wood.
I may be prone to say, β€œYep, 1983 I was at my best” or β€œ1992 was a challenging year.”
How can we keep our lives under better control?
For me, keeping a regular journal, maintaining regular study habits & routines, plus setting stretching goals, really helps to maintain a growth trajectory.
As a human π’ƒπ’†π’„π’π’Žπ’Šπ’π’ˆ, what do your yearly growth rings look like?

Becoming a somebody

Have you reached that point in life where you can afford to allow yourself to stop growing or to stop improving?

Do you remember the old adage β€œIf you consider yourself a nobody and do nothing to improve yourself to become a somebody, you truly will end up being a nobody.”

Every single one of us can choose to improve ourselves daily.

Self improvement begins with self-awareness and the ability to transform our personal habits. There is no one size fits all in our unique and individual journey through life. Yet, I believe that there is a need for constant improvement in all of our lives if we are to become a somebody.

β€œNone of us will become perfect in a day or a month or a year. We will not accomplish it in a lifetime, but we can begin now, starting with our more obvious weaknesses and gradually converting them into strengths.” – Gordon B. Hinckley.

Over time, as we choose to make small adjustments in our life routines, they can bring greater balance, direction and peace to each of our lives. Remember, one step at a time.

Every leader can be a better leader than he or she is today.

Every father, mother, daughter or son can be a better father, mother, daughter or son than he or she is today.

Are you a somebody?