I was reading something the other day and it said meditation is about progress, not perfection.
I had to read it again.
It’s about progress, not perfection.
This really resonated with me because this relates to so many things in life:
- Nutrition
- Exercise
- Work
- Business
- Marriage
- Family
- Relationships
- Wealth Building
- And just life in general.
We weren’t born to be the perfect person, the perfect partner, the perfect parent, or the perfect leader. And when we beat ourselves up for a wrong decision, or when we make a mistake, it’s counterproductive to our future growth. Instead, we need to remind ourselves to take criticism and feedback and use it to move forward. And since we can’t change the past, we must recognize this and move forward as quickly as possible, in order to continue to grow in our life’s journey.
Should We Still Push Ourselves?
It’s important to remember that you can’t have absolute perfection when you are building a house, a business, or a life. However, we must not confuse this phrase, progress not perfection, with a lack of standards and accountability.
Standards shape our personal character, the character of our business, and our future. They also impact what we deem acceptable in all areas of life, for ourselves and for those around us.
Listen to the podcast episode:
Accountability & Promises
Accountability holds us to our standards. On the Win-Make-Give podcast that Ben Kinney hosts, he explains how people naturally hate to be held accountable. But if you switch the word accountability to promise, then you are promising to do something and no-one like’s to break their promise. It could be a promise to yourself, your team or co-workers, your partner, or your children. As much as people naturally don’t like to be held accountable, they don’t like to break promises either.
Sometimes, just reframing how you look at it- increases your level of accountability.
All of these components are important for creating the life you desire. And for me, part of meditation is “turning off the spinning thoughts” but the other part is visualizing the life that I desire as if I already have it. This creates the reality before it exists and puts it out to the universe to make it possible.
I have done this with the idea of having a business in two states and going back and forth from New Jersey to Naples, Florida, and starting my business again there. People of course were mostly naysayers- they told me I couldn’t… why I couldn’t (instead of asking me how)… and all of those things that you just love to hear when you share your goals with small-minded thinkers. But that’s okay- because if you really believe it and have visualized it already, you can use any negativity that comes your way as fuel, instead of feeling discouraged and down.
Position yourself with leaders, find mentors that you look up to, and surround yourself with those who you aspire to be more like.
Meditation is a More Than a Relaxation Strategy
Sitting in stillness without looking to respond or react is powerful.
Setting intentions for the universe and then putting in the work and allowing everything to gracefully fall into place is powerful.
But if there’s something I can share with you- it’s please don’t forget the work part. It’s one of the most important parts of the process! But what I have found is that if you set positive intentions with passion, then the work is easier, more enjoyable and it allows the universe to flow your goals to you instead of constantly being up against resistance. There’s a famous saying, the harder you work, the luckier you get!
Remember:
Put people first, do good, set proper intensions- and everything will come back to you.
Faith, Worry, and Intentions
Biblical or spiritual- the process is similar with God- faith in a higher power, or faith in yourself, or both. It is important to set the proper intentions and to will those things to happen. (This is also where the worry may come in.)
Oftentimes (we are all guilty of this at one point or another) we may find ourselves worrying. Of course, I am not saying to be a reckless maniac and not worry about anything… but sometimes we worry about silly things, and 99% of the things we worry about never actually happen.
Sometimes, we had a bad experience and we let that experience be the driver of our future- instead of creating the life that we want, the life that we are passionately willing to work for, and the life that we desire and deserve. Someone once told me to let go of the things that are no longer serving me. It was a very powerful moment for me.
I encourage you to let go of anything that is no longer serving you– whether it’s a relationship, the regret of a mistake you made in the past, a judgment, or anything else that is not pushing you forward to your goals.
Take the lessons with you into the future but let go of any negativity around it. Focus instead on what you intend to create, because what you focus on expands. Personally, I intend to focus on calmness and growth, inner peace, greatness, happiness, and love. I intend to live a big life and inspire others to live their healthiest life – and to build wealth through real estate.
Apply These Lessons to Your Own Life Right Now
So now, think about… what do you have in your life right now that you are grateful for? Things that you set the intensions for, that maybe you prayed for, that you worked for, and are now part of your reality.
Grab and pen and paper and write down what you’re grateful for.
Maybe it’s your relationship with your spouse or your children, your friends or family, your dream job, your health, your house, your savings… there are no wrong answers. It can be as simple as the dining room table you just refurbished… the important part is to start with gratitude.
No matter the situation, there is always something to be grateful for… because if you are listening to this right now, you are breathing air and are above-ground. Life in and of itself is something to be grateful for.
What Can You Work Toward?
Now, that you are feeling good…
What are some things that you would like to change?
What are some things that you are striving for now and visualize in your life in the future?
Write them down.
On a weekly basis, my team and I at Keller Williams use what’s called a 4-1-1 to track our goals. A 4-1-1 is a system of annual goals broken down into monthly goals, that are then broken down further into smaller weekly goals.
And you can do this in all of your areas of life: Job, Business, Financial, & Personal!
Get the 4-1-1 worksheet:
If you would like a copy, send me a message and we will email one over to you!
The Takeaway
Thank you for reading today, and remember: It’s about progress, not perfection. Set your intentions to properly match your standards and goals… and keep your promise to your future.
