How Long Can You Wait?
I had this idea a few years ago about stacking behaviors. Behaviors are the bedrock of action. Whatever behavioral patterns you hold, these are the driving forces behind everything you do or don’t do. You must accept that the choice to do or not do is equal in all scenarios. To do an action is just as important as not doing an action. The choice and subsequent behavior must be practiced from an intentional position.
This is the upfront work. Rightly so, every endeavor you venture on will require front-loaded effort for a greater back-end reward. The bigger upfront, the bigger the possible return. The longer you go until the payoff of an action, the more valuable that action becomes. Most people cash in too soon on what they want, not realizing things beyond their imaginations exist if they can be resilient and wait.
So my idea was this. How many times can I make one action pay off? I dove deep into strategy and became very intentional about what I was doing at all times. I created a large gap between cause and response which gave me time to understand the most pivotal truth of every moment in life, “what’s actually happening.”
What’s actually happening is what you have to know before you can make an informed decision. This is where the roots of an intentional personal development practice dig deep. You can’t go looking for what’s actually happening right out of the gate is what I learned. The story you are telling yourself about everything that's going on in your life is loaded. You must sift through it and understand why you tell it to yourself the way you do. There is an explanation for all the ways you do this, whether you are currently cognitive of them or not. It also doesn't matter what the current stories are. What matters most is that you are fully committed to discovering the why and then intentionally creating from there.
Self-honesty, acceptance, willingness, and desire are your closest allies in this journey. Purposely utilizing these four corners to lay your foundation will ensure that what you create can stand the storms of life. You often hear “you never know what’s going to happen.” I get where they are coming from but for the most part, that’s bullshit. We know exactly what’s going to happen a lot of times in life, what we do not know is when. Preparing yourself for life is a responsibility you cannot take on too soon.
Financially, emotionally, physically, and mentally are all areas you can begin to get yourself in order.
