Author: yvettesojourner

“The greatest threat to results are boredom and impatience.

The only way to become good at something is to practice the ordinary basics for an uncommon length of time. Most people get bored. They want excitement. They want something to talk about and no one talks about the boring basics. For example, we know that dollar-cost averaging into an index fund is likely to generate wealth, but cryptocurrency will give us a bigger thrill. Boredom encourages you to stop doing what you know works and do something that might work.

Another way to mess up a good thing is to try and accelerate the natural pace of things into an unnatural one. A good idea taken to the extreme is always a bad idea. Working out for 15 hours a day won’t make you healthier, it will get you injured. Investing with a lot of leverage won’t make you rich faster, it will wipe you out. A lack of patience changes the outcome.

It’s hard to be above average if you can’t find a way to do the same thing over and over again. As Bruce Lee observed, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

In a world of social media, we glorify the results and not the process. We see the kick that knocked someone out but not the years of effort that went into perfecting it. We see the results, not the hard work.

The difference between good and great results is often found in consistently doing the boring things you know you should do exactly when you feel like doing them the least.”

Tiny Thought, Farnam Street

“The older I get, the more I realize how much agency I have over my own time.”

These are questions I ask myself at the end or beginning of each monthly. I have also begun asking myself these questions, daily, weekly and mid year. As a way to hold space for myself, check in with myself and just reflect. Try them out and see if they work for you. Take what you need. Leave what you don’t.

 

1. AM I SPENDING MY TIME THE WAY I WANT TO?

My mind is always flooded with all of those things I must do. It can be overwhelming but I remind myself that I can do everything at my leisure. I do spend a majority of my time doing what I want and ALL OF MY TIME doing things the way I want.

2. HAVE I SET BOUNDARIES TO PROTECT THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF MY LIFE?

I continuously revisit the boundaries I set because there are moments they become blurred and I have to step back, reflect, and remind myself of the importance of my boundaries. This may require me to adjust, create and even remove boundaries to better fit what’s going on in my life.

3. ARE MY HABITS AND ROUTINES IN LINE WITH MY PRIORITIES?

My rituals, habits and routines are my top priority. Self care: reflection, self growth (reading and writing), meditation, exercising and writing.

4. HAVE I COMMUNICATED MY PRIORITIES TO THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO ME?

I keep those important to me informed of my priorities, but I am protective in how much I share so not to break my focus but also to limit overwhelming them with my thoughts and creative processes.

5. DO I HAVE A SYSTEM TO IDENTIFY AND PREVENT BURNOUT?

As soon as I read this question, I cringed. This used to be difficult for me. In the past, I wasn’t completely in tune or aware of when I was burning out. I would find myself angry at the world and exhausted. Now, I’m intentional about incorporating those things that serve me and removing those that don’t. One example, is when I take the beginning of every month (an entire week) to reflect on the previous month and plan for the current month.

Maya Angelou

Once you find your shoulders dropping

And your speech gets slow and hazy

You better change your way of being

Before you found your brain got lazy

You can build a better future when you join the winning team

If you desire a bright tomorrow, you must build a brighter dream

Dare to let your dreams reach beyond you

Know that history holds more than it seems

We are here alive today because our ancestors dared to dream

From Africa they lay in the bilge of slave ships

And stood half naked on auction blocks

From eastern-Europe they crowded in vessels overloaded with immigrants

And were mis-named on Ellis island

From South America and Mexico, from Asia, they labored in sweat shops

From all over the world, they came to America

Many shivering in rags, and still they dared to dream

Let us dream for today and for tomorrow

Let us dare to dream