Growing a business.
Sustaining a daily practice, like exercise, meditation, or a blog.
Raising children.
Maintaining long-term relationships.
Mastering a musical instrument or a technical skill.
On the surface, these might seem like completely different endeavors. But there are common factors for success in all of them.
(1) Dedication
You must be dedicated to the outcome you seek. That said, results and mastery take time. In the day-to-day of your efforts, you might not see what looks like progress or growth.
More important than your dedication to results, you must be dedicated to the process of showing up daily — regardless of the results you get in any one session.
(2) Discipline
Discipline doesn’t mean being hard on yourself or rigid. The origins of the word discipline mean learning. It’s the same root as the word disciple. You must be committed to continuous learning.
No matter how much skill you’ve acquired or how much success you have had, you can’t assume you know everything. There is always new information. Even the realm of science isn’t locked down. People make new discoveries all the time. Commit to a process of continual learning.
(3) Devotion
Devotion is defined as love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person or a cause. Whatever you want to grow and sustain must be an object of your devotion. This may seem obvious when you’re talking about relationships with people, but it also applies to projects, habits, and skills.
You must be loyal to the cause or project. Enthusiasm for what you’re doing will help motivate you when results seem elusive.
(4) Desire
Desire is what steers the ship of your commitment. Desire isn’t a longing that comes from need or lack. It is a pull of the heart, a stirring of the soul.
Without desire, you will struggle to sustain devotion, dedication, and discipline.
Desire is what turns a push into a pull. It’s what melts the mountains that stand in your way. It fuels your motivation to overcome any obstacle.
Desire can and will change, so it’s crucial that you check in with your desire periodically — especially when you feel lacking in dedication, discipline, and devotion.
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