The 365 Commitment

Day 121 – The ingredients of progress

Progress, as it seems, is made up of small increments. When I was younger I believed that progress was made by large leaps forward. So I have spent my life in search of the location that I can take that leap and make the most forward progress. What I did not realize, is that instead of spending all that time searching, I could have been taking small steps forward the entire time. The end result would have been significant progress. The accumulation of the small increments are the ingredients of true progress.

I believe that this is what comprises all of nature. Just look around you. A giant moment where man moves a mound of earth with a giant machine pales in comparison to the millennia of slow erosion caused by a drip of water. Small incremental progress is the rule, not the exception. This is not going to sit well with most of us, it is even hard for me to accept now.

We are enamored by the culture of now, the instant rise to fame. The young person that impresses us with their amazing talent. Quick access, sudden discovery, shortcuts is what our society has focused on. We do not talk about the countless hours that Mozart actually spent practicing the piano under the careful watch of his father. We do not talk about the countless hours that Kobe Bryant spent practicing his jump shot, his dribbling technique. Instead we focus on the rise to fame, the astonishment of how great the young super star is. The younger and the faster their rise the more impressed we are.

Yet at the end of the lifespan, true mastery is obtained one day at a time. One small increment after another. A full year of repetitive behavior will always be better then that moment of sudden inspiration. My inspiration of the 365 commitment has truly changed my life thus far, however it would be absolutely nothing without the 121 days of consistency.

Do you want to be great? Truly great at something? Then pick what is you want, find a behavior that will get you there and then repeat it for 365 days in a row. Simple concept, absolutely true.

Guy Reams (121)
365 Member

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