Repetition is the mother of skill. To become great at anything you have to put in the EFFORT day in and day out. Even if you could magically get the outcome without doing anything – that’s not what you want. What you want is to grow and become a bigger and better person. We all do, it’s part of being human. That’s why no matter how successful you become you will always want to continue to expand. The universe is always expanding and so are you if you put in the work.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
So whatever it is you are working on, make sure to remember there are steps you need to build upon over time. Nothing happens over night. And you are building in all the different areas of your life all the time. Your health, relationships, business, finances, fun, hobbies, contribution back to the world.
There’s no need to get overwhelmed by this. It should be refreshing to know that all you have to do is show up every day, be patient, put in your best effort and have faith. Whenever you start anything you are going to be bad. Even if you are a natural you are still worse than you will be in one, two, five years into it. Bad isn’t bad. Bad means you are making new connections in your brain and body to develop a new skill set. And as long as you keep on growing you will repeat the cycle of being bad to being great to being bad again.
Why? Imagine you are exploring new lands on the Earth or somewhere in outer space. You will find new frontiers, adapt to them and become great at living there. Then if you are looking to grow more you will venture to new ones and become unsure of what’s going on and have to learn the new environment until you adapt again. Same thing with a new relationship, workout or hobby.
Just like you condition your muscles when you go to the gym. You want to condition the muscles in your brain and nervous system to get stronger and better each day. The cool part is the compounding effect over time. After a while you will be immensely stronger and better at it. In the beginning it may take all your effort and you do a terrible job. Then over time you don’t even have to think about it because you have mastered it and can do what very few can do.
Train yourself to enjoy the process of conditioning whatever habits you need to implement into your life. Your life is a reflection of your rituals so go out and condition the ones that you need to create the life you desire and deserve.
