This has been rather a sloppy sort of year for my blog. I started off not numbering, got spotty about posting daily, went back to numbering, still remained spotty.
But I'm still here, and still blogging.
There's a saying (usually misquoted as being said by Aristotle), that "We are what we repeatedly do."
I agree.
I think part of that repetitive process is mindfully stepping back from it and adjusting it, the same way you aim a spray of water from a hose, or shoot a water gun.
I go through something similar in my day job as a programmer. Try a thing, see if it works, adjust, try again. Sometimes I will get something working, see an entirely better way to do it, and rebuild it. There's even a term for it, refactoring.
I think adopting the practice of mindful refactoring has been, and continues to be a success strategy in my life.
- Try something.
- See how it works.
- Throw it out if it's not working for me.
- Keep going with it if I am happy with the results.
Wash, rinse, repeat. Repeat until dead. You get the idea. This strategy is everywhere in my life. I use it at work, at home, in relationships, my health, my finances.
It's even inherent in my spirituality or philosophy. One of my favorite Lao-tzu quotes is "A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent upon their arrival."
I do, ultimately, have a final destination. We all do. But how I get there, what road I travel, and what I do to enjoy the trip, that's what matters.
