We have all heard of the popular question and response; “how do you eat an elephant?” and of course the response is, “one bite at a time.” This question and answer is illustrating a timeless principle many men have forgotten, the principle of small things done on a consistent basis will lead to huge results.
In over 35 years of attempting to live well as a man, lead and love my family while growing my businesses and impact in the world I have learned the power of taking small consistent bites in the areas of life that matter. Though I have not always gotten perfect results, here are the six habits that I have strived to act on daily that have drastically improved my life.
- Heart – Relationships
Serve the relationships in your life. We are meant to be in community and connection with others. Everyday I write down one way I can improve, serve or love someone I am in a relationship with. For example, one day I might write down, “call and check in on the parents.” Another day I might write down, “clean house so that I can spend extra time with my wife.” Add this habit to your daily activity and I promise it will help you feel more fulfilled. Even if it seems like more work, because building better relationships is more work, it will fill your cup as well.
- Exercise my body – Health
Our body is of the finite resources we have in this life, just like our time. It would be wise for us to utilize and maximize our bodies in the best possible way. I have two actions I take in this category, the first is I choose a nutrition plan that I will be on for each quarter and I will stick to that daily calorie intake. The second is, I do at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday. This includes the gym 3 times a week and yoga or running the other 2 days of the week. Add this to your daily habits and you will see a drastic change in your health.
- Renew my mind – Mental
There is a powerful quote by Lao Tzu that says, “watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” It all starts with what we put into our minds that influence and impact our thoughts. I intentionally choose an area I want to improve on and I go to work training and studying in that area. For example, if I want to improve my parenting I will buy a book and subscribe to some podcasts and begin my training. Trust me this one habit is one of the most important, if you don;t control your thoughts someone else will.
- Own the day – Wealth
There are three actions I take in this category. The first is I write an affirmation statement. Which is a few sentences written in the present tense positively stating how I desire to feel or what I desire to achieve. For example, “I am confident and competent in the work I do, I am blessed abundantly by the service I give to others.” Then I write down 3 things I am grateful for that day. Lastly, I write down the top 3 actions I need to take to progress my life forward. These could be personal or professional actions, just choose 3 and take action on completing them.
- Source – Spiritual
Just like our electronic devices we need to be charged up. No one would expect a cell phone to run at optimal performance with only 5% charge. Yet so many of us get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that we place those unrealistic expectations on ourselves. We need to be charged up, and the best place to charge up is your source. I won’t tell you what to believe or where to charge up, but every great man needs to submit to something greater than himself. I for one, open up my bible, read scripture and pray for 15 minutes everyday.
- Endeavor – Adventure
Last but certainly not least, is adventure. I know this is typically last on your todo list, if it even makes your to do list. As men we can place so many of our hours into “producing” being “productive” and working that we forget to explore and enjoy life. Socrates is quoted as saying, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” I believe what he meant here was that the quality, joy, and fulfillment of our lives cannot improve unless we examine where we are, where we have come from, and where we are going. This habit challenges us each day to go out and do something adventurous. It could be as small as taking a walk with the family everyday after dinner.
Small Hinges Swing Big Doors
What big doors would open in your life if you committed to taking the small hinges in the above six actions on a consistent basis? Could you imagine what your relationships would look like? What if you could get into the best shape and health of your life? What if you grew your skills and confidence through intentional learning and training, what opportunities would be waiting for you? What about having a deep sense of peace and purpose no matter what the circumstances are around you?
The one thing I want to point out, is these big doors can open, you now have the small hinges that open, the magic is in the consistency. If you do these habits every now and then nothing would really change but I promise you when you do these consistently and leverage the power of compounding the changes are mind blowing.
The 5 Day Accountability Challenge
We know making any change is hard, let alone making consistent changes to our habits. That is why we created the HeRose 5 Day Accountability Challenge. This challenge will help you jumpstart the positive change you want to make in your life and the best part is you won’t have to do it alone. Often men drift into a life of frustration and averager results because of the company and comfort he keeps. HeRose utilizes the power of challenge and accountability to reignite men to demand adventure in life, forge meaningful relationships, build abundant wealth, and develop a strong mind, body, and spirit. Join the free HeRose 5 Day Accountability Challenge Facebook group to find out when our next 5 day challenge will be happening and start leveling up your life.
