Chicken or the egg? Do beliefs drive behavior? Does behavior drive beliefs?
While both statements are true, I firmly contend the latter is the key to living a life and doing work that really matters.
Changing how you act, how you behave will shape new beliefs. Unlearning what you’ve learned and forming new, healthier habits will forge a new character and transform your being.
Stated simply, if you behave like the person you want to become, belief will follow.
To accomplish this, you mustn’t worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Focus one day at a time and seek incremental daily progress.
Here’s the first new behavior I challenge you to master: choose your good portion daily. In this context, what I mean is to intentionally carve out time for yourself to sit quietly, calmly, peacefully and start your day with the following questions:
- What am I grateful for today? (write down whatever comes to mind)
- What am I excited about today? (write down whatever comes to mind)
- What is my purpose in life? (write down what you think it is; there is no right or wrong answer)
- How can I “move the dial” today to get one step closer to who I want to be? (it does not matter how small a step it is)
- Who can I serve and thank today? (one person or group of people)
The world values those who completely fill their time with service and action. It is in vain that people rise up early and go to be late, eating the bread of anxious toil. At MindWolves, we value choosing our good portion first to ensure our service, action and energy are applied in ways that really matter and make some sort of meaningful difference in the world. We believe in learning the unforced rhythms of grace, the natural patterns of favor and goodwill, which can only be learned by embracing the principle of rest and making space for reflection.
By choosing your good portion daily and making it a habit, you will be given a gift of peace of mind and heart. And this peace is a gift the world cannot give, so don’t be troubled or afraid.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30).
MindWolves 