feed your mind and the rest will follow

If we could “fix” ourselves for once and for all, we’d never have to make another New Year’s resolution. Resolutions fail because they are not backed up by deeds and, most importantly, a purpose that motivates you to continue a particular action. Why is spending time in the gym or a place of worship not as high a priority as sitting on our couch or at our computer? Why can we watch hours of TV on end, but can’t settle our minds to read a book for fifteen minutes? Why can we find money to buy more “stuff” and none to tithe to deserving organizations? They say that for an action to become an embedded habit you must do it repeatedly for at least 21 days. Well, there are some great habits I’ve done for years, only to stop, much to my detriment and disappointment. So I guess they weren’t truly embedded. Why is that? I’ll never have the discipline in my life to consistently do any of the above resolutions unless I get to the root of what motivates me. My stomach will always say I’m hungry. My sense of want will always say I need something I don’t. My body will always say I’m too tired to go to the gym. We are all living, breathing examples of the path of least resistance. So what’s going to conquer this inner conflict? As with all issues, you’ve got to resolve them in your head and in your heart before your body and wallet will follow. A resolution or goal can tell what you’re going to do, but the critical piece to making it all stick is to know why. To find out the why, you’ve got to feed your mind. There are two ways to feed your mind: meeting people and reading books. Not just any people and books, but the ones that will put you on the path to success. The ones that will help you walk the walk, and not just talk the talk. To know thyself is the ultimate New Year’s resolution. And nothing can get you on that path faster than getting yourself on a disciplined reading program.