Between the excitement of setting a goal and the magnificent feeling of accomplishment lays the tired land of the world in-between.
Greetings from the weird world in-between! I am currently consumed in routine. Every day starts with tea, chess practice and an ab workout. I then hit inbox zero, cook a quick lunch for my friends (always vegetables and a protein), walk to a cafe to do some work and then end the day with another workout, a long walk and some time with my girlfriend.
The location changes, but every day the routine is the same.
It is in this land that I most often fail. The excitement of goal setting has passed and the thrill of accomplishment has not yet been earned. This is when the real work is required. Motivation is at its lowest, temptation is growing and the work hours are long and boring. Memories of past adventures distract and people who genuinely care about you give you misguided cues and advice.
This is the hard part. The seeds of failure are in the ground but they have not yet been watered. They are waiting for the rain drops of negativity.
In the world of an adventurer, routines are sometimes regarded as poison. They are the slow death tool of the unenglighted and the antithesis of exploration and art.
While true in some ways, this perspective is really just negatively packaged with a bow.
Like any tool, the outcome of a routine is entirely reliant on the job being executed. If the job is meaningless, the routine will be meaningless too.
Routine is most valuable when used to accomplish giant, meaningful goals. Tasks that are meaningless individually can compound into something meaningful when repeated for the right reasons. Routine is how fortunes are earned and how every successful marathon runner crosses the finish line.
If, like me, you find yourself living in the weird world in-between, take a moment to pull your head out of the low visibility water of daily existence and ask yourself about your goals.
Are your monotonous daily tasks compounding into something meaningful? If so, keep going. If not, don’t get down on yourself. Simply realize your routine has spoiled and make some changes. Routine is just a tool, it needs you to lead it in the right direction.
