The Best Minute: On doing hard things, getting to bed on time, and learning from others
2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS
I. James Clear on the importance of effort:
“Talent matters - especially at elite levels - but people talk themselves out of giving their best effort long before talent becomes the limiting factor. You’re capable of more than you know. Don’t be your own bottleneck.”
II. Simon Sinek on the difference between stress and passion:
“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.”
2 IDEAS FROM ME
I. Put due dates on all your tasks. Deadlines bring clarity to what needs to be done when and helps us focus on what we need to be working. Anytime you add something to your to-do list, but a due date on it. If you don’t get it done on the assigned day, change it that day to another day. This will help you keep tasks from falling through the cracks.
II. If you struggle to consistently get to bed on time, make going to bed easy. After dinner, do all of the things you would do right before bed. For me this includes:
Flossing
Changing my clothes
Picking out clothes for the next day
Making my lunch for the next day
Set out any breakfast supplies for the next day
This way, all I have to do when it’s time for bed is brush my teeth. Make going to bed easy and you’ll go to bed on time.
1 BOOK THAT I LIKE
Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley
From the publisher: “Growing up in the American South, Esau McCaulley knew firsthand the ongoing struggle between despair and hope that marks the lives of some in the African American context. A key element in the fight for hope, he discovered, has long been the practice of Bible reading and interpretation that comes out of traditional Black churches. This ecclesial tradition is often disregarded or viewed with suspicion by much of the wider church and academy, but it has something vital to say.”
I found this book easy to read and deeply helpful in learning from experiences and traditions different than my own. This book brought new light and insights to familiar Biblical stories and gave me a greater appreciation for the need to learn from a wide range of voices.
1 ARTICLE I FOUND HELPFUL
Policies, Persons, and Paths to Ruin: Pondering the Implications of the 2020 Election by John Piper.
In this post, John Piper talks about how we must consider the policies and the character of those we vote for.
1 CHALLENGE FROM ME
If you have a difficult decision to make and are afraid of doing what you know you need to do, ask yourself this question: what will I wish I had done five years from now? Often that will help us make the right decision in the present, even if it is difficult or uncomfortable today.
