Have you ever looked up and thought, "Dang it, I haven't gone anywhere"?
Same habits. Same frustrations. Same promises you made to yourself back in January, still sitting there. You weren't lazy. You were busy. But somewhere along the way you started drifting, and you didn't notice until you woke up in the same spot.
I've been there more times than I'd like to admit. And I've learned that drifting almost always starts with something we rarely stop to look at - the emotions quietly making our decisions for us.
There is no status quo
Here's the thing. We're either growing or we're going backwards. There's no standing still.
I look at life in five areas: spiritual, mental, physical, relational and financial. In every one of them, we're moving one direction or the other. If we aren't intentionally training ourselves to grow, we're sliding back - whether we realize it or not.
We get this with exercise. Nobody expects to get stronger by skipping the gym. But we don't think that way about our mindset, our relationships or our money. We don't train those things on a regular basis, so they drift. And drifting is sneaky. Sometimes we're going in circles. Sometimes we're literally going backwards. We just don't feel it day to day.
A lot of what runs through our heads today is the same stuff that ran through yesterday. So we wonder why nothing changes. Well, if the thoughts are the same and the feelings are the same, the choices are going to be the same too.
We decide with emotion, then explain it with logic
This is the part that hit me upside the head.
Our emotions drive our choices and decisions. Then we back them up with logic.
Now, you can challenge me on that. Some of you are thinking, "No, I make my decisions logically." You might be right. But a lot of really smart people who study this stuff way beyond me would argue with you. And when I've been honest with myself and reflected on it, the shoe fit. I make a lot of decisions emotionally, and then I build the case for them afterward.
Think about the last time you skipped the workout, bought the thing, snapped at someone you love, or said "I'll start Monday." Was that a logical decision? Or was it tired, stressed, bored, lonely or afraid - with a good-sounding reason added later?
That's not a reason to beat yourself up. It's a reason to get curious. Because if you don't know the leading emotions driving you, you're probably drifting.
Clarity shows you the obstacles
Here's something interesting I've found. When you get clear on where you're going, guess what else gets clear? The obstacles in your way.
I'm crystal clear on some of the obstacles getting in my way personally and professionally right now. That clarity doesn't feel great. But it's a gift, because you can't work on what you can't see.
When I have better clarity of where I'm going, and I can get my emotions and my logic lined up with purpose and meaning, I make better decisions. Not perfect ones. Better ones.
For me, that clarity starts with my faith, and then it moves into my mental and physical fitness. On the mental side, great leader, pastor and author Craig Groeschel says you do what you do because of what you think of you. Tony Robbins says the strongest force in the human personality is the need to remain consistent with how we see ourselves.
So how do you see yourself right now? Because your choices this season are going to line up with that answer.
Don't wait for January
This time of year it's easy to say, "I'll change my life in January." I'll fix my health in January. I'll work on my mindset in January. And in the meantime, we stream and scroll our way through the holidays without much meaning or purpose.
I get it. I've done it. But that's procrastinating to procrastinate to procrastinate.
You don't need a new calendar to become a better you. You need one rep at a time. Not just one rep a day - one rep at a time, with clarity about where you're aiming. Begin with the end in mind. What are you actually trying to accomplish?
It's not about you - and it's all about you
Here's a dichotomy I love.
Pastor and author Rick Warren opens The Purpose Driven Life with four words: "It's not about you." That one gets me, because I tend to think about myself a lot - whether I'm trying to be great or feeling convicted.
Life isn't about you. It isn't about me. It's bigger than that.
But your life has everything to do with you. You've been given a priceless mind, a priceless soul and a priceless body. You're the only you there will ever be. Nobody can compete with you becoming a better you.
So the question is, are you going to spend those gifts today, or invest them? And when you invest in becoming better, it isn't just for you. It's so you can serve the people around you well and pay your growth forward.
Your One More Rep: name what's driving you
Here's your One More Rep this week. It's an assessment, and it's simple. Not easy - simple.
Take a few quiet minutes and write down your answers:
- What are the leading emotions driving my choices right now? Name them. Stress, fear, comparison, boredom, excitement, gratitude - be honest.
- Which of my recent decisions did those emotions make for me?
- Do I have real desire to change - or do I just like the idea of it?
- Where am I actually aiming over the next few months?
You don't have to fix anything yet. Just become aware. Awareness comes before change, and you can't steer what you won't look at.
Then keep one promise you make to yourself today. Just one. Become a little bit better than yesterday.
Go do something challenging today, and feel really good about doing it. God bless.
