Things Learned From…
Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great, by Joshua Medcalf
![Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall In Love With the Process of Becoming Great by [Joshua Medcalf]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6z3A!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F015ea9b8-e590-4233-b3fe-5351ac8a28f9_386x500.jpeg "Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall In Love With the Process of Becoming Great by [Joshua Medcalf]")
Living by feelings is never going to work out well for anyone, because feelings change.
Sometimes we simply wake up and we feel differently.
Sometimes, someone does something to make us feel differently.
Living by our feelings is like riding an emotional rollercoaster.
When you make the choice to live by a certain set of principles, it will not only protect you from your feelings, it will allow you to step into your greatest potential.
Many days, you aren’t going to feel like working out and honing your craft.
Many days, you aren’t going to feel like treating people really well.
Many days, you aren’t going to feel like being unconditionally grateful.
Many days, you aren’t going to feel like giving your very best.
But the principle says you are going to reap what you sow.
The principle says that diligent workers are going to serve kings instead of ordinary men.
The principle says to turn the other cheek.
The principle says to seek wise counsel.
[…]
Seek out principles from ancient wisdom that have been tried and tested through the ages.
It is not easy, and sometimes you will slip up and make choices based off of your feelings.
Pick yourself up, and get back on the road to living by your principles rather than your feelings.
Think of four meaningful principles that you want to live by.
Write them down and reference them whenever you sense your actions are being driven too much by your feelings.
In case it’s a helpful example, here are the first four principles I put into a Google Keep note as my reference.
If it scares me, that’s the thing for me.
Be nice
I’m building my own house
Be curious, not judgmental
The values they’re meant to remind me of are:
courage
kindness
not making comparisons
focusing on what I can control,
having a growth mindset, and
humility
I’ll feel free to change them if I think of other principles that could make a greater positive impact on me.
Thanks for reading! Hope you have a blessed day.