“Friday Flowers”

 

When I first began dating the woman who would become my wife, I would stop at the store on the way into town for a bouquet of flowers. And I do mean every week. You could set your watch by it. Really, you could. Then I moved into town. Guess what? I didn’t stop in the store for that bouquet of flowers so regularly.

It only took a few missed weeks for me to discover the value of that bouquet in my wife’s eyes.  Consider it a lesson learned.

I tell you that story to ask you this question – How consistent are you in your actions?

Consistency affects every aspect of your life – from establishing a child’s bedtime or a “date night” with your spouse to developing a work ethic or working on self-improvement.

Maybe a better word to use would be “discipline”.

How disciplined are you?

In 2017, I attended a  Zurvita business conference in Houston, Texas. It transformed my life. I transformed from “Dan” to “Daniel”.  The keynote speaker was John Maxwell – a leader, some may say THE leader, in the personal development field. I was mesmerized. I found myself taking pages and pages of notes during his speech.

Here’s the quote that hit me right between the eyes –

“Discipline forms habits. Habits form you.”

Oh man, do I have a bunch of habits, many which are not so good. We all do. The good news is we can take actions to create new habits.

I procrastinate. It’s a well known fact. How can I change a habit that defines me?

Through discipline –  one day, one decision, one action at a time.  That’s how.

Here’s another story. Funny how life works….

Years before the convention I purchased “Making Good Habits, Breaking Bad Habits” by Joyce Meyer. The book sat for months on my nightstand, gathering dust.  I figured I’d read it “someday”.  Did I mention I procrastinate?  Well, guess what –  “someday” arrived post-convention. What a great read. I wish I had read it sooner. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

Nothing worth achieving in life comes easy.  You have to willing to put in the work. You have to be disciplined; else all you have are unfulfilled dreams.

Is that what you want from life? I didn’t think so.

I leave you with yet another quote from the 2017 convention –

“Dreams are free, but the journey isn’t.” – John Maxwell