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I was having a discussion with a friend of mine the other day about consistency (and my occasional lack thereof). I'm the kind of entrepreneur that thrives on things being a little different every day. So, while I schedule my days for the most part, there's a little bit of 'whatever's clever' in the middle of my day or towards the end. Usually, it becomes the time that I utilize to handle family stuff that comes up unannounced -- having kids will do that! According to Aristotle -- "We are what we habitually do." He goes on to add that excellence is not an act, but a habit. I left that part out of the quote because excellence isn't always guaranteed when you are habitual. After all, there are habitual smokers, habitual gamblers, habitual complainers. Ultimately, the measure of a person's excellence is how habitual are they about the things that are extremely important to them. If someone habitually blogs every day or every other day, they are practicing the habits of being an excellent blogger. Similarly, an excellent writer is someone who commits to the consistency of writing on a daily basis (and as a result gets better and better at writing). I always marvel at my wife who is extremely consistent about getting up and working out 4 days a week. Most times, I just don't have the drive to do it! (And as a result, am not in "excellent" shape -- but I'm no slouch either...) So, the question of the day becomes, what is it that you habitually do? Complain? Criticize? Worry? Give thanks? Spread cheer? Compliment people? Make a decision to be habitual about the things that really matter, and as a result, experience the excellence that comes along with it. My commitment to consistency? I'm glad you asked. Being a great Dad. Being a great husband. Being a supportive entrepreneur. Being a student and a teacher. Beyond that, I'm working on the daily writing, blogging, and working out. Excellence takes time, no? |