âYour mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions.â
Marcus Aurelius

Living Each Day Anew
From the moment our eyes flicker awake each morning, itâs on. The dayâs first fork in the road.
Get up or stay in bed?
The path we choose from this, and the hundreds of other daily decisions we face, determines our month, our year ⌠our life.
As the day progresses, everyone hears the same voices. You know the ones:
âJust a bit more sleep.â
âIâll do it later.â
âLetâs put it on the credit card.â
High performers quickly ward off these negative voices with positive and purposeful action:
- Getting up as soon as the alarm goes off
- Expressing what theyâre grateful for
- Fueling their body with healthy food
- Outlining what work theyâll do today to support their mission
- Completing those tasks during their most energized hours
- Being discipined with their personal finances
- Engaging in an activity for their mental and physical well-being
- Making time for their loved ones
Experience has taught me that when my own mental and physical health sputters, the rest of my life unravels too. When I wake up feeling good, I will include some form of physical exercise into the day, usually a gym workout but occasionally a surf or yoga session. On those days, because I want the best result, I make a point of eating extra healthy.
Then, with a successful day in the books, I sleep well. The next day, I wake up a little happier for progress and feel confident knowing that I can push a bit harder.
But what happens when life sends one of its faith-testers along?
Whether itâs ill health, relationship problems, or even something simple like work travel, these variables can add up. Excellence is not a single act, but a habitâand so is failure.
Before you know it, when wrong decisions are compounded, plans derail, and you lament having to start from square one ⌠again.
When It Comes Crashing Down
Seven years ago, on Thanksgiving Day in Vermont, I was invited for a social game (and my first ever attempt) of American football. Growing up in Australia, I played every sport I could, and loved any opportunity to get on the field, so looked forward to this new challenge.

Half an hour into the game, I let ego creep in and dove well beyond my limits for a catch. Iâll never forget the feelingâit was a bone-chilling crush, like an NBA player stomping on an empty Coke can. The pain was all-consuming.
The result? A grade three shoulder separation.

Over the next few weeks, I swallowed the powerful prescription pills that swapped pain for haze. Doctors were overcautious and said I needed to rest, eliminating any hope I had to stay active. I struggled through course work (it occurred while I was studying an MBA program in Boston), and I was eating for convenience rather than nourishment.
I wanted to dispose of the painkillers, but they seemed to be the only way I could sleep. Besides, I had about three monthsâ worth in my possessionâwhy would the doctor give me that much if I shouldnât take it? When friends invited me out drinking, I obliged, staying out late and feeling miserable the next day.
It was âWin the dayâ in reverse, and at 28 years old it ultimately led to the most depressed Iâd ever felt.
This is the dichotomy of life: unless we decide each day to live in the light, darkness will take over. Our exposure to this darkness is evident in how our career, health, finances and relationships are progressing. After all, without a clear purpose in each area, weâre easily lured to short-term gratification.
When a tragic event outside of our control happensâlike my football injuryâitâs even easier to absolve ourselves from making the decision to win. Today, Iâm grateful for that period because it taught me so much about consistently applying positive action, trusting your instinct (and avoiding unnecessary medication), and being kind to yourself.
Aligning Actions with Mission
The most successful people on the planet are experts at making the decision to win and ensuring their actions align with their dreams.
Think about SEAL Team Six, one of the worldâs preeminent special forces units. When they received confirmation that Osama bin Laden, the worldâs most wanted person, had been positively IDâd in Pakistan, they built a life-size replica of the house and repeatedly simulated the raid. This allowed them to play out every possible scenario and get increasingly comfortable with the unknown.
It only took nine minutes for the team to find and neutralize their target. A near flawless mission.

While people on their couches criticize high achievers for âbeing luckyâ or âhaving it easyâ, Usain Bolt works on shaving one-tenth of a second off his time and Tom Brady combs through mundane game footage looking for any advantage. Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk give no energy to all those who say it canât be done, instead choosing to act bolder than ever before, possessed by their own self-will.
The results speak for themselves.
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Instead of picking apart those who achieved great success, we should be piecing together their habits and modelling them in our own lives.
Make the decision to win or youâve automatically made the decision to lose.
Onwards and upwards always,
James W.
In case you missed it: â10 Questions to Transform Your Lifeâ