You are not going to transform overnight. The 365 Commitment does not work that way. Life does not seem to work that way. I think in our culture of movies and television and YouTube and other “entertainments” it is easy to become settled into the mode of an observer rather than a participant, a consumer rather than a creator. Getting sucked into the habit of being entertained and playing the role of observer leads to a stagnant and sterile place.
So often we observe people who seem to be on a rocket to success, at casual glance they they appear from out of nowhere enjoying great prosperity. There does seem to be particular threshold that must be passed, a membrane burst, a glass ceiling broken, a critical mass reached , or a final hurdle overcome before the doors of opportunity are flung open. But this apparent point of acceleration is tricky.
The reality is, in the vast majority of cases, “success” comes after ten years or more of discipline and hard work building competence and skill, ten years of focus and learning (read failures). And, in cases where success comes swiftly to those who have not put in the time and effort, let’s say not “earned it,” so often a fall is imminent and unavoidable due to the complexities and pitfalls “success” can bring. Cultivated habits (skills, behaviors, abilities) will bloom when opportunity knocks, if they are weak or unhealthy then weakness and disease bloom.
A microcosm of this is when an addict gets a windfall of cash. This can be the worst thing in the world for them! This miniature “success” leads them straight into the indulgence of their a destructive HABITS. Flush with cash, their habits are now empowered to kill them or lead them into a pit of despair on the double! Opportunity affords any habit the resources to bloom.
What will happen to you when you get your windfall? What will your habits bloom into? Imagine someone like Warren Buffet. When he gets a windfall of cash, his habits of investing prudently and wisely bloom into more money because his cultivated habits, when given opportunity to bloom, create wealth. When you manage to pass that threshold, burst through the membrane, break that glass ceiling, and/or overcome that final hurdle, and “success” floods you with opportunity and/or resources? What will your habits bloom into? Will it bloom into something beautiful and good or will is lead to self destruction or expansion of misery for those you impact? Interesting questions.
Money aside, what about relationships? Let’s say you finally manage to get into a romantic and serious relationship with another person. Someone you “love.” Oh boy, suddenly your interpersonal habits have the opportunity to bloom as well! What will that person experience as your habits are unleashed upon them? What are your habits of behavior regarding relationships with others? Gossip, selfishness, jealously, taking . . . ? Or, kindness, humor, loyalty, encouragement, love? Different habits, different blooms.
What about power? So, you finally get the chance to lead and wield authority, the doors are flung open for you and your leadership habits are afforded the opportunity to bloom! What will they bloom into? Will it be beauty and light or will it be ugly and miserable? What are you habits regarding use of power?
Life is a conveyor belt of time. If you are reading this then that is evidence you are on the ride. This is it! Realize you are a participant not an observer. You will get opportunities, you are getting them now! Maybe they are small ones, but they are still empowering your habits, maybe they are trickling in, still every dollar you make, every breath you take, every relation you make with another person, every thing you do is feeding your habits for better or worse – the choice is yours.
You have a choice,the 365 Commitment is a framework, a garden if you will for cultivating that choice. Yes, the 365 Commitment is your garden where you can pull the weeds of bad habit, and plant healthy varieties of your choosing that will feed you in the future and produce beautiful flowers when the rains come (read opportunity). The 365 Commitment provides a framework for you to take a hard look at your habits and choose and cultivate ones that will bloom into something beautiful, useful, enjoyable, admirable . . . something you actually want, something that reduces suffering! When the opportunities you surely have present themselves and your habits bloom into something, what will it look like?
You and I at this moment must realize that this is our time! It is your turn! Now. Now, it may take 10 years of cultivation, but that is where it is at, that is the journey. All the great people we study in history are dead, . . . you are alive! This is our chance, an obvious but somehow easily overlooked fact, as we face the difficulties of another day. You are the living, make something of your life! Make the 365 Commitment and begin cultivating your garden and preparing for opportunity as you access the potential all around you. In bloom indeed.
Ben Wagner (129)
Member The 365 Commitment
