Fortitude Fridays #46

read time: 6 mins

A few ideas as you finish the weekend.

Today at a Glance:

• Quote: Stay Uncomfortable.
• Question: Showing Up.
• Book: 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson.
• Framework: The Laundry Cycle Mindset.

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Quote to Ponder:

“You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft that you will die without ever realizing your true potential.”

–David Goggins (ultramarathon athlete)​

A life cushioned by comfort is a life imprisoned by the ordinary.

Choose the path less traveled, embrace the challenges, and dare to be uncomfortable, for it is in those moments that the extraordinary within us rises.

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Question to Ask:

How would the best version of myself for this particular situation show up?

In a day, there's a constant need for context switching between roles like parent, spouse, employee, friend, and so forth. Managing these roles is challenging, leading to the common struggle of toggling between work, family, and other aspects of life.

We've all experienced moments when someone receives a version of ourselves that wasn't the one we would have preferred to present, and vice versa. For example our partner has gotten the frustrated, tired work version of us after a long work day. Or a child has gotten the distracted version of ourselves rather than the loving, engaged parent.

It happens, we are all human. It's difficult to transition smoothly between these modes, and when stuck in between, both areas can struggle.

By posing the question, 'how would the best version of myself show up in this particular situation?' you can intentionally define the qualities of the version you aspire to be and embody and emulate that ideal efficiently.

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Book to Check Out:

12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos

by: Jordan B. Peterson

In '12 Rules for Life,' Dr. Peterson explores diverse topics like discipline, freedom, adventure, and responsibility, distilling global wisdom into 12 practical life rules. The book challenges the prevailing ideas in science, faith, and human nature, helping the reader expand their thinking while encouraging the spirit of growth.

The book offers user-friendly guidance, blending time-honored wisdom and modern science, while Peterson's engaging style and anecdotes maintain their impact. Dr. Peterson encourages us to take personal responsibility and find resilience. By drawing insights from diverse sources such as the evolution of a lobster's nervous system to ancient Egyptian beliefs, he extracted his 12 meaningful life rules.

My Thoughts: As I am currently re-reading the '12 Rules for Life,' I find it interesting how the life lessons resonate with me this time around. Initially read amid the overwhelming challenges of nursing during the pandemic, the book holds a slightly different meaning now, but still serves as a guiding light for the mind and spirit.

Key Takeaway: Actionable advice for personal growth and meaning, emphasizing the importance of responsibility, discipline, and the pursuit of purpose in overcoming life's challenges.

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Framework: The Laundry Cycle Mindset

Recently I was listening to the Mel Robbins podcast and this conversation from episode 99 with therapist KC Davis blew my mind. I haven't stopped thinking about how it can apply to so many areas of life:

We often tend to perceive our lives in simplistic, black-and-white terms. It is how we make sense of our world and gauge progress quickly and efficiently. Here are some examples of how we may view parts of lives in this way:

• Tasks are either finished or unfinished
• Workouts are completed or missed
• Habits as either successfully adhered to or neglected
• Projects are either completed or pending
• Meetings are either productive or unproductive
• Relationships are either thriving or struggling
• Goals are either achieved or unfulfilled

Consistently adopting this mindset can create pressure and anxiety, sometimes causing more harm than good. Linking our ability to achieve tasks to our success and self-worth is a common pitfall that happens to all of us. There have been numerous instances where I labeled a day as unsuccessful because one thing on my to-do list remained unfinished, overshadowing other accomplishments due to the unmet expectation of completing everything.

But what if we could shift our mindset, moving away from seeing our life through the static lens of "done/not done" to one where we exist within a continuous cycle, in a state of constant flow?

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Entrepreneur Sahil Bloom captured it perfectly:

Bringing it Home:

Life is a constant ebb and flow, defined by continuous changes. Instead of setting the expectation of completing everything, consider viewing certain aspects as an ongoing, fluid cycle rather than a fixed state — this mindset can lead to a more serene and fulfilling sense of progress. 

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Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great rest of your weekend. Until next week...

You got this,