In the last few days we talked about success (how we define it::success ) and failure (how to deal with it: raise-back-up). In the next few days, we'll take a dive into some of the principles of success as described in "The Rhythm of Life" by Matthew Kelly. But just as a small but imporrtant note, the term success here can be applied to many areas of life, and ultimately, it's really just about intentionally becoming the best version of yourself. Principle 1: PURPOSE “Success is becoming the best version of yourself.” Purpose is one of the foundations of a meaningful life. It guides your choices, actions, and goals. Living without purpose can make even the best achievements feel empty/hollow and the ache that can come with that can be palpable. "Ikigai is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being" or "what makes life worth living," combining "iki" (life) and "gai" (worth) to find purpose through joy, passion, and contribution, often visualized as the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for." Purpose answers the question: Why am I here, and who am I becoming? Purpose is discovered over time through honesty, suffering, joy, failure, and service. It is revealed by paying attention to what consistently brings meaning, energy, and a sense of rightness even when it is difficult. In Matthew Kelly’s framework, purpose is about becoming, not acquiring/not achieving. A life without purpose has the tendency to drift and doesn't feel anchored. And that feel of "something's off" or "there's got to be more than this". It ends up reacting to expectations, approval, fear or comparison among other things. A life rooted in purpose can work through sacrifice, disappointment and delay. ""He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how" (nietzche)

If I may, I’d like to share a practice I use in my own communities, with some of my favourite communities to belong to. If you had to describe your week so far using three GIFs, what would they be? There’s no right or wrong here — your GIFs might reflect: ✨ moments of strength ✨ moments of overwhelm ✨ tiny wins ✨ setbacks ✨ or simple everyday life Share whatever feels comfortable. Your GIFs can say as much or as little as you want them to — no explanations required unless it feels right for you. Drop your 3 GIFs below 👇Let’s gently check in with each without the need for words.

Without discipline and just leaning into the idea of "this is just who I am" or "this is my nature", we would all still be pooping our pants... Some of the things discipline requires: -delaying gratification -acceptance of responsibility -dedication to truth -balancing

In the last three days we spoke about the first 3 principles of success as described in "The Rhythm of Life" by Matthew Kelly (more here : day-1-purpose; day-2-priorities; day-3-balance ). Today we delve into the fourth principle: Discipline (Just a small but important note, the term success here can be applied to many areas of life, and ultimately, it's really just about intentionally becoming the best version of yourself.) Principle 4: DISCIPLINE “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.”-Abraham Lincoln “No man is free who is not master of himself.” -Epictetus “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle This one can be rough...In many ways people looking in may think that I'm pretty disciplined in a lot of areras of life...but there are many that I want (or....want to want?) to be more disciplined in and I fall again and again...The easy way out, the distractions, the comfort, the lure of the status quo sometimes still win out.. Stemming from the Latin for "to teach," discipline is training for self-control and character. Benefits of discipline involve better outcomes, stable relationships, and increased well-being. It fills the gap between intention/dreaming and reality. Discipline is...wait for it....discipline is self-respect in action. We want to respect ourselves, don't we? Small repeated choices shape our character and it builds self trust and each small act of discipline is a lil vote towards the person we want to be and over time these votes compound. Compound effect is a real thing! Think about the direction you want that compound effect to go. Pychologically, discipline is closer to self-regulation than self-control and it's more about creating conditions where success is more likely. When we struggle with follow through, it'srarely because of laziness (which sometimes people shame themselves with this type of language) but it's more likely that the nervous system is overwhelmed, dysregulated, or trying to avoid pain.

In the last two days we spoke about the first 2 principles of success as described in "The Rhythm of Life" by Matthew Kelly (more here : principles-of-success-day-1-purpose; principles-of-success-day-2-priorities ). Today we delve into the third principle: Balance (Just a small but important note, the term success here can be applied to many areas of life, and ultimately, it's really just about intentionally becoming the best version of yourself.) Principle 3: BALANCE “Life demands balance; without it, even success becomes destructive.” "Work-life balance was a mistake from the start. Because we don't really want balance. We want satisfaction" Balance is the rhythm that sustains success. We tend to function best when we are within a 'window of tolerance'. When we're outside that window we feel overwhelmed and numb and start losing flexibility, empathy, and clarity. When this happens progress in one area begins to erode another (health/relationships/peace/meaning). Balance doesn't mean equal time for everything, but rather appropriate attention (and discernment) over time. Trying to give everything equal weight at all times becomes an unrealistic endeavour so this calls us to sacrifice some things, BUT, it's asking us to sacrifice some things consciously rather than driven by fearr/guilt/compulsion. Maybe a better way of saying this is is that it calls us to prioritize some things over others. Balance is about looking at the season that we're actually in and tending to the things that benefit from our attention in that season not the season we wish we were in. QUESTIONS for reflection: Which area of life feels overworked and which feels neglected? POLL: Which best describes your current state? ACTION: -Track energy levels for 7 days--and ask yourself at the end "What did my system need more or less of...and did I listen?"