building empires (the significance of habit)

After a long day (or a long week of 14 hour days) it’s normal to want to unwind, call it early, and go to sleep.

I wanted to (I mean, I REALLY wanted to), but instead I made the conscious (and uncomfortable) decision to stay up just a bit later to write another post.

As easy as it could have been to call it early, I wanted to end the day with a victory.

the power of habit

That's the commitment I've made to myself – to write one blog post (or develop one of my other projects) every night.

It's small.  One post doesn't mean anything by itself.  And because it’s so simple, I could easily convince myself to skip tonight and catch up later.

But I don't, because I know this simple truth:

Actions repeated consistently over time create habits…  

And habits create momentum…

And when that momentum's going, I want it to be in the right direction.

If I don't write tonight, nothing happens.  If I don’t write tomorrow, same thing, nothing happens.  There is no dramatic, immediate effect to doing nothing.

And in a year from now, I’ll reap exactly what I sowed (you guessed it – nothing).  Resistance will have won.

But if I do write tonight, and tomorrow, and every day for the next year, I'll have over 300 pages of content.  That's a book.

If I keep this up for a few years, I'll have thousands of pages of content (and tons of experience).  You can’t create that in a day (not with all the coffee in the world).

The point is this: you can't complete the project you're working on by waiting until tomorrow.  And don't try to fool yourself into thinking you'll catch up this weekend (you won't).

But you CAN create an empire in 30 minutes - just 30 minutes every day.

All it takes is action right now.  Don't worry about tomorrow - it doesn't exist, not to you, not when you’re staring your project in the face.

Start creating - immediately.  Don't go to sleep until you've added another stone to the castle.

I added another stone.

Did you?

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8 comments on “building empires (the significance of habit)”

  1. i am, indeed, building my castle. well put. i like what you've got here. it's so hard to create a popular blog but the content is good!! though, i've also heard that 'build it, and they will come' is a myth because no matter how great your content is, you still need to market. that's the part i always struggle with!

    1. Thanks Janet! Glad to hear you like the content! I agree with how hard it is to create a popular blog. And 'build it, and they will come' is definitely a myth. You definitely have to build it FOR them to come, but it doesn't mean they will...but it definitely looks like you're on your way - your website looks great!

  2. Yes, this is so true. Consistent daily actions are the only way to get traction and ensure forward movement. It IS incredibly hard to sustain, though, but so worth it in the end. I like the idea of building an empire one post at a time. 🙂

    1. Hi Otiti! Thanks for commenting! I know - it's so easy to say to ourselves 'stay committed' but at the end of the day, taking action is incredibly difficult (anyone doing creative work can sympathize). Continue to build your empire! 🙂

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