Strive…

A New Year! Every year, we start this new beginning, this new journey. Every ad we see involves gym memberships, exercise equipment, diets, on and on. It is predictable, it is in every conversation, it is incessant.

Is there any real meaning to it? Within weeks all of this, fervor evaporates along with any motive. Seemingly everyone falls into the same old, same old habits. Why? Here is that word again: DISCIPLINE. It keeps popping up because the majority of people lack the ability to make meaningful changes to their behavior. How can we change that to something positive? One word will put you on the right path to a better tomorrow, strive. Everyday, everyday decide today is great, tomorrow I will be better than today, and the next day will be even better.

It is a New Year! We have simple choices. Simple choices. If you break it down, it becomes simple. There are only two decisions for pretty much everything in life.

• Yes/No
• Up/Down
• Good/Bad
• Right/Wrong
• Fast/Slow
• Left/Right
• Do/Don’t
• Easy/Hard

Everything we do really comes down to choosing behaviors that will benefit our journey in life. So why not start today at the beginning of the New Year? When a decision about an action that affects our life, why not make the one that benefits us and consequently everyone around us. Our actions affect so many other people and we fail to realize that. Think about the Butterfly Affect. One simple, seemingly insignificant action we take unknowingly affects millions of people. Just making subtle changes in your life, like simply starting to crawl, then walk, then running will allow you to modify your behaviors and habits to make lasting change. Common sense and logic each and everyone of us have will tell us the choice we need to make. 99% of the time there are two ways to go. You know the right one, start this New Year.

I know without a doubt, every human being knows the right decisions to make in their lives to benefit themselves, their families, and consequently the world, everyone. Real change comes not from ads, worldly trends, and peer pressure. We were all born with a God-Given free will. Using our own consciousness to make the simple and right decisions will make all the difference in your life and all the world regardless of what it entails: relationships, health, money, life circumstance, job, in the end…

The Choice is Always Ours.

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It is found within each and everyone of us

The most important thing we need in our lives is Peace of Mind. It isn’t about having the most money, the best house, the expensive car, the jewelry, vacations throughout the world, etc. It is having the tranquility within your self that every human strives for.

The pressures that the external world puts on each and every one of us is simply, overwhelming. It comes at us in all directions. Every ad, every commercial spout a need for something that we perceive mistakenly that we really, really want. The fact is, we don’t. How often do you find this artificial want within yourself that in the end you succumb, get it, and find out you did not need it? You ask yourself, why did I do that?

You see this with parents and children. The child cries, “I want that, I want that” and the parents relent and satisfy that want. In a short while, that thing that was so important lies dormant somewhere unused.

That example applies to each and every human. This artificial need to possess something that is transient. Walk around your home. Look around. How many things sit unused, the only thing it is doing is taking up space. Look at your clothes. You will find that you wear probably 20% of your clothing and shoes in the closet and dresser the majority of the time. Why do you need 80% more than what you really use? Think about it. The more choices we have, the less happy we are. One of the best books I ever read is by Psychologist Barry Schartz. It was called the Paradox of Choice. In essence, he believes that the more choices we have, the less happy we are. The stress of making decisions just adds to our angst.

The next time you think you need something, take a breath. Something I have learned to do is have patience for everything in your life. I never worry about having to pull the trigger on anything immediately. I let it marinate, think about the consequences, and take time to see if it is really necessary and needed. There is ALWAYS an opportunity in the future. Never make decisions to purchase or obtain something because you think you will lose your opportunity. My motto has always been, whatever you desire, will come to you in time and at the right time. They always do. All things in time.

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The Building Block of Discipline and Focus

Organization is the fundamental trait of being able to function with efficiency in life. How do we get to a point of organization? You need to start looking at what surrounds you, your environment.

Famed psychologist, Jordan Peterson repeats a mantra that everyone should take to heart. “Clean your room”. So many connotations to this common phrase. It shows the importance of order in your life before you can try to interfere in other people’s business. Put your self together by eliminating the physical, emotional, and nonsensical things in your life.

You need to start small and be realistic at first. If you have never been organized in your life before, you need to make it a habit. You take little steps at first. It starts with wants vs. needs. The majority of people have endless wants, but what are your real needs? Love, resources to live (food, shelter, and clothing), safety and protection are vital. When does it become enough?

When do all of these wants begin to overwhelm our lives?

Why do we live under the false pretext that we need the latest and greatest when what we have suffices? Why is is it when Apple introduces a new iPhone people line up around the block to get one? I just cannot understand this. What is the illusion that you are gaining besides unnecessary debt? This example pertains to cars, clothes, books, apartments, homes, or anything that is tangible. If what you have isn’t broke, why look for a fix? It only adds to our angst and clutter in life.

Professor Barry Schwartz wrote one of the most insightful books I have ever read. It is called, The Paradox of Choice, WHY MORE IS LESS. This book was written originally about 2004 and what he speaks of is actually many times more relevant due to the endless amount of choices we have today. The premise is that even though we have so many options and choices in life, Barry Schartz argues we are less satisfied and happy. In a nutshell, we become paralyzed by the sheer complexity of availability. A clear example of this is just going to our closets. If we had two pair of pants, 3 shirts, two pair of shoes, when we went to choose, it is relatively easy. We might have to make a determination of colors, dress shoes or sneakers, but the decision is quick. Now go to the same closet where there are 25 pairs of shoes, 15 pants, 20 shirts, etc. It becomes overwhelming and stressful.

So to start our journey to organization, begin in your bedroom. Look at your closet with clear eyes. Be realistic in what you have worn in the past month and separate them. If in the next two weeks, anything you have not utilized put them aside and consider donating them. Realize that the majority of your closet and I would bet 70%, rarely get worn. Enrich someone else’s life by donating them. Every week look to reduce the piles of “accumulation” throughout your living space.

Make it a goal every day to take steps to reduce chaos. Take care of mail, get rid of books and magazines, anything that takes up space and the focus off of your ability to utilize your mind and think clearly. Learn to develop the habit of taking care of things as soon as they develop. Make up your bed as soon as you get up in the morning. Recycle mail as soon as it is delivered. Delete unwanted emails, texts, and the like as soon as received. Put things in there proper place instead of just setting it down. One little simple thing that I do, is to clean up as I make dinner. If I am done with a pot, while something else is being prepared, the pot is washed, rinsed, and put away. By the time the meal is ready, most of the cleanup is done. Crazy, but simple actions like these help to make HABITS. Every little action accumulates into a greater good. Anything that will help you make organization a habit, do it.

Make it a point on this journey to take the first step of reducing the clutter in your life. In fact, make it a habit every day to become organized in every aspect of your life. In doing so, you will find it easier to make good choices. Remember, Discipline is all about controlling your mind, and you need a clear mind. The choice is always yours.

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