It’s a simple question.

 

You’re becoming someone a little more every day. Who is it? If we are the sum of our actions, the things we do create who we are. So what’s the story of your actions?

 

Who are you becoming? Write it in your task list. Let it guide you one choice at a time.

 

Forget about what you did. Most of all, forget about what you didn’t do. Ugh. So noisy. And not helpful. You don’t want to fight those emotional battles.

 

The choices you make define who you are: the outputs (the actions you took), not the outcomes (the results of those actions– and the emotions that follow those results!) Every now and then, you do have control over outcomes, but less often than you think. What you always have is control of your choices– how you choose to engage with and react to the world.

 

It’s not wrong to want to achieve some great and noble good (or to get rich or famous for some reason or other). In the end, however, outcomes depend on many factors, most of which are outside your control.

 

You are not your circumstances. You are your choices.

 

When I experience overwhelm, encounter a roadblock, or (let’s be honest) angry with myself for my lack of follow-through on important work, the only way out is to make a choice; take an action. Let your actions speak to you.

 

You might enjoy this deeper dive on the subject: Mood Follows Action