“The hardest battle to win is one you don’t even realize you are fighting, and the hardest enemy to defeat is the one you don’t even know exists. Every day you are in a battle with resistance.
Make no mistake, resistance is your enemy. It will not quietly go away and leave you alone. You have to slay it like a dragon, and you have to slay it anew each day.
Here are 4 ways to slay resistance every day:
1. Expect resistance. You should be surprised. It’s going to be there breathing fire every day.
2. Know what you want more than the mindless comfort of procrastination.
3. Focus on one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is a mega-resistance trap.
4. Just do it.
And remember, don’t just be yourself, become the best version of yourself!”
“Let me tell you the secret to having a great day, every day. When you wake up each morning, ask yourself, “Whose Day can I make today?” Once you have settled on the person, unleash your creativity to explore how you can make a difference in that person’s day today.
We live in a culture that constantly tells us to put ourselves first. Others are an afterthought. But the truth is, we all have a need and desire to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Whether you are rich or poor, young or old, influential and famous, or not, you can make a powerful difference is someone else’s life today.
So, don’t let what you can’t do, interfere with what you can do. Identify that person each morning, do something to make their day, and make every day a great day.”
“Ideas shape our lives. Ideas shape history. We all have a need for a constant flow of ideas that inspire us, challenge us, illumine our minds, teach us about ourselves and our world, show us what is possible, and encourage us to become the-best-version-of- ourselves.
We need a diet of the mind just as much as we need a diet of the body. The ideas we feed our mind today tend to form our lives tomorrow.
Think of it in this way: We become the stories we listen to. It – doesn’t matter if we get those stories from movies, music, television, newspapers, magazines, politicians, friends, or books—the stories we listen to form our lives.
If you want to understand any period in history, simply ask two questions: “Who were the storytellers?” and “What story were they telling?”
If you want to know how a nation will be different tomorrow from the way it was yesterday, find out how the stories that nation is listening to are different from the stories of yesterday.
If you discover that the stories we are listening to have less meaning, contain more violence, and, rather than inspire us and raise our standards, appeal more and more to the lowest common denominator, you can be sure that in the future our lives will have less meaning, contain more violence, and be more focused on the lowest common denominator.
We become the stories we listen to. But perhaps the more important question is, what stories are you listening to at this time in your life? What stories are forming your life?”
“We live busy lives with packed schedules, and sometimes we can feel like slaves to the many, many things that demand our time and attention. That’s why from time to time, we all need a little spontaneity.
Here are 3 reasons spontaneity is good for you:
1. Spontaneity makes us more creative. And creativity isn’t just for artists and writers, it is for mothers and fathers, friends and lovers, employees and leaders.
2. Spontaneity is the antidote for stress. Lots of our stress comes from holding onto the same thing for too long. That thing might be a project, it might be a toxic thought, it might be a depleting routine. Spontaneity allows us to let go, and as we do our stress drains away.
3. Spontaneity teaches us to be flexible. Being overly rigid prevents us from being present to the moment, leads to unnecessary conflict in relationships, and leads us to value process over substance, thus missing out on what matters most. Spontaneity is proof that you are capable of being flexible.
Spontaneity is an amazing thing.
When was the last time you did something truly spontaneous? Has it been too long? Do something wonderfully spontaneous this weekend. Do it with someone you love, or do it on your own. But do it. It will refresh your soul.
“External validation comes from other people affirming your feelings, behaviors, and accomplishments. When a child says her first word or takes her first step, we clap and cheer, encouraging her. This external validation affirms the child and gives her courage and drive to take the next step.
At every stage in the development of a child, loving parents, teachers, coaches, and siblings, encourage children to explore their potential. This external validation takes many forms and is natural and normal, and over time should lead to a healthy sense of self.
One sign of a healthy sense of self is the ability to validate oneself. This is called internal validation.
If you feel angry over something that happened, it is unhealthy to repress, deny, avoid, or ignore that feeling. Your healthy self is able to say, “Feelings are messengers, I wonder what message this anger is sending.”
Internal validation also allows us to affirm our accomplishments, even and especially those that nobody else witnesses or will ever know about. Great champions affirm every little success, they validate their efforts to reach the next level. This internal validation is one sign of a very healthy sense of self.
The ability to internally validate ourselves is especially important in the face of the inevitable criticism we all encounter sooner or later in life. A healthy self is able to hear criticism, embrace what is true as fuel for improvement, and set aside what is not true.
One of the biggest problems in our culture today is that so many people are addicted to external validation and lack the healthy sense of self needed to internally validate. This is why so many people feel unworthy or worthless.
Liberate yourself from the need for external validation. Francis of Assisi understood this perfectly when he wrote, “I am who I am in the eyes of God. Nothing more, and nothing less.””
We all feel this way sometimes, but today’s reflection will inspire you to shine your light in the darkness. Watch now–Matthew shares some thought-provoking questions that will help you reflect on your life and challenge you to spread your goodness in the world!
