I do my best to read for at least 15 minutes each day.
I know…
That’s such a short amount of time, so why even bother reading?
Well…
It’s something “easy” I can commit to and accomplish. Which means it gives me a quick win.
This, in turn, makes me feel good about prioritizing myself that day.
It’s kind of like how making your bed can be an easy win for your day that you control 100%.
Achieving this small goal prepares you mentally for larger ones.
So theoretically, you gather more wins for the rest of the day because you already started your day with a win.
Besides the psychological benefits, what I have found over the years is that tiny daily commitments lead to a big impact.
Even with not being perfect, I easily read 10 books a year from just 15 mins a day.
The book I’m currently reading is The 12 Week Year, which is a goal setting book.
I have read it a couple of other times in the last three years.
But last night, I underlined something I hadn’t the last two times I read it.
“To accomplish what you desire will take sacrifice. The number one thing you will need to sacrifice is your comfort. “
Are you willing to get a little uncomfortable to get what you truly want?
Around this time 5 years ago, I was getting ready to do something very uncomfortable.
I had just started the mortgage process on a real estate move that would allow me to pay off my house.
My plan?
Resign from my job after the deal was done.
That was a very uncomfortable choice considering I was earning six figures, single, and childless. And I lived in a city where the average household income was $40,000 a year.
All that is to say, I was living good, as the kids say these days. I had a high income in a low cost city without another adult human or tiny human to worry about.
So staying at my job would have been the very VERY comfortable move.
In April 2021, I completed my real estate deal that I had started in February.
From it I got a 38K check and confirmation that my house was paid off.
And I moved forward with the uncomfortable decision to resign from my job.
Now, to be clear…
The runway to make that uncomfortable move didn’t come out of nowhere.
It came from a series of uncomfortable, tiny decisions over a period of years.
Those little discomforts grew into an opportunity that I created for myself to leave the rat race so I could explore self-employment.
When was the last time you were faced with an opportunity that brought you discomfort?
I know that when we face a hard choice, the easiest default action for us all is to seek what feels safe.
The comfortable route feels very safe and very cozy.
But what if you tried something different the next time you are faced with a decision that brings you discomfort?
What if you took some time to reflect first before operating in default mode?
Ask yourself first:
→ Is making the comfortable decision bringing me closer to the life I truly desire?
→ Or is this comfortable decision taking me farther away from my dream?
Either choice is ok.
But the reality is, most of us don’t “choose”.
We just automatically move to comfort in default mode.
And the sad thing is, the comfort zone is where dreams go to die, and regret grows rampant like the most aggressive weed.
The bold action zone, though…
That’s where fear gets confronted — and ordinary people build extraordinary lives.
