On Daily Progress

Street Photography by Gelani Banks

The holidays are a popular time for setting new goals.

One of the most common goals is losing weight.

People want to be different.

Call it a minor identity crisis.

And when it comes to identity.

There’s an idea that I read from the book Atomic Habits.

(Thanks Tahjai for the recommendations)

Atomic Habits is written by James Clear

And the most important concept in the book is how we set goals.

We say I want to lose weight or more specifically.

I want to lose 10 pounds or even 20,

eat healthier,

and make more money.

In atomic habits, James Clear teaches

Instead of setting a goal saying I want to accomplish _____,

It’s best to determine a habit.

Declare to yourself.

“I’m going to go to the gym four days a week at 7:00 PM” or a time that’s best.

Instead of reaching a finite goal, you will set yourself up in a positive way.

This creates a habit and an identity shift.

If good comes from that habit it turns into behavior.

From that behavior the habit forms into an identity.

This identity gives you the power to learn who you are.

After you figure out who you are.

You embark on an endless journey.

And you can look back and see the progress.

That’s what I’m doing with wisdom walks.

I look back and notice improved writing.

The way I articulate my ideas,

they come off cleaner.

I’m building up a catalog of 10, 20, 30, 40, and even 50+ articles.

I haven’t gotten there yet, but I’m on the way.

Ryan Holiday writes in “Ego is the Enemy” not to get ahead of yourself.

Stop acting like you’ve already finished the work.

Observe the progress and acknowledge that progress is all that’s happened.

We should love to see our progress.

We get better every day.

Jalen Hurts talks about daily deposits.

“Rent is due everyday and I don’t plan on missing any payments”

One of my good friends

Started designing clothes more than 10 years ago in his dorm room.

Now he’s in Urban Outfitters

(RiverIsWild)

Progress.

I take this walk everyday and it’s one step at a time.

And I’m not measuring anything

I don’t have a goal for walking.

But I know if I walk every day.

My health will be better.

This is positive progress.

I’m excited for the journey.

I’m excited to remember the breadcrumbs I left every day

Keep up the progress.

Enjoy your walk.

Every day I take at least one walk no matter where I am. These Wisdom Walks are a condensed transcript of the thoughts that I record while walking. They have been edited for clarity, but mostly stay in their original form.

For an audio version please check out the podcast here