I’m pretty sure the best answer to every problem can be encapsulated in one simple dictum.
You can use this dictum to meet all your problems, regardless of what they are, and create the best possible outcomes.
You’re not going to like it. It has different forms, but here’s one:
Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, and do it that way every time.
This is truly infuriating advice. The mind sputters and objects.
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The night before you travel somewhere, order your favorite pizza, eat some of it for dinner, and seal the rest in a bag and put it in the freezer.
A week later, when you get home unexpectedly late, wiped out and ravenous, you’ll open your fridge to find only eggs, pickles, and condiments. Then, you’ll remember that your favorite pizza is right there in the freezer!
In that moment, notice that alongside the joy of unexpected pizza, you also will feel love for – and will feel loved by — your past self.
A regular version of this is FlyLady’s recommendation that you shine your kitchen sink before you go to bed. This small, easy ritual has a disproportionate benefit on your morning. The version of you that wakes up and makes coffee next to that shiny sink will not only have a better day, but will feel respected and cared for.
It might seem like these actions are a kind of zero-sum, one-to-one exchange: you lose something now to gain something later. Your future self receives a gift, but it can only gain what your past self has given up.
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I'm David, and Raptitude is a blog about getting better at being human -- things we can do to improve our lives today.
I like the strategy of considering multiple ways of trying to reach the goal and asking yourself how a determined person would do it. and I recognize the types of excuses I've had over the years as to why I didn't try harder (getting out of my comfort zone, risk...