3-2-1: Keeping the habit alive, the value of small kindnesses, and editing your life

Happy 3-2-1 Thursday!

Here are 3 ideas, 2 quotes, and 1 question to consider this week.

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I.

"Do not confuse things that are hard with things that are valuable.

Many things in life are hard. Just because you are giving a great effort does not mean you are working toward a great result.

Make sure that mountain is worth climbing."

(Share this on Twitter)​

​II.

"Keeping the habit alive is a powerful act. It's easier to stay in shape than to get in shape. It's easier to keep a house clean than to get it clean.

Many days it may feel like you are treading water, but maintaining your progress saves your future self a great deal of work."

III.

"There are many situations in life you do not control, but you often contribute to them.

I cannot control the rain, but I can control my clothing.

I cannot control your feelings, but I can control my kindness.

I cannot control my opponent, but I can control my response.

You cannot control most outcomes in life, but you can usually influence them. Releasing your attachment to the results does not mean releasing your responsibility to the situation."

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I.

Playwright, poet, and writer, Samuel Johnson, on listening and learning:

"I never desire to converse with a man who has written more than he has read."

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Source: Apophthegms, Sentiments, Opinions and Occasional Reflections​

​II.

A poem by Danusha Laméris on the value of small kindnesses:

"I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk

down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs

to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”

when someone sneezes, a leftover

from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.

And sometimes, when you spill lemons

from your grocery bag, someone else will help you

pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.

We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,

and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile

at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress

to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,

and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.

We have so little of each other, now. So far

from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.

What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these

fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,

have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.”

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Source: Small Kindnesses​

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Instead of asking yourself, "What should I do first?"

Try asking, "What should I neglect first?"

Trim, edit, cull. Make space for better performance.

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​https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/august-4-2022​

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Until next week,

James Clear
​Author of the #1 worldwide bestseller, Atomic Habits​
Creator of the Habit Journal​

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p.s. Jupiter got those toddler parent eyes.
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