Structure frees creativity and structure creates freedom.
I’d like to say I’m smarter than my dog, but some days I wonder. When we moved five years ago, our bulldog, Spanky, was lost. He struggled for a few weeks with the new location, routine, and loss of what he formerly relied upon to navigate his days and the familiar environment. He wasn’t happy.
When I step back, I’m not much different. I fall into habitual behavior without intentional thought at times. When I recognize it happening, I find my energy depleting, attitude declining, and productivity lacking. As I’ve learned to intentionally observe myself, I’ve created practices to improve, and my most recent one is thanks to Dan Sullivan.
At the end of each day, to break the grips of my critical self, I now list 3 wins every day. It’s a simple practice, spending a few minutes to document three things from the day that made it better than it was yesterday. Then you visualize three new ones you want to have the next day. That’s it.
The more you do this, the more you see opportunities for wins every day and the happier you are. You can even document it in a free app called WinStreak to make it even simpler.
I’m newer to this practice, but it works. It keeps me focused on the abundance and goodness in my everyday life. As I give attention to my good habits, the bad habits are getting crowded out. It’s that simple.
Thank goodness Spanky adjusted, I’m not sure he’d do well with the app!