I discovered a long time ago that if I focus on doing the right thing for the long term to improve the lives of consumers and customers all over the world, the business results will come.
— Paul Polman
I am currently reading, “The Compound Effect”, by author Darren Hardy.
One thing I am learning is that daily acts of the grind (DAGs); when compounded over time = magnified results.
Think about it like this. If you buy a small cup of coffee every day, that seems cheap. It’s only $3.00. However, multiply that by about 260 working days per year and you have spent a whopping $780/yr on coffee. Multiply that by 10 years of work and you will spend about $7,500 on coffee. Last time I checked you could buy a decent used car for that price. Our day to day decisions have consequences whether we want to believe that they do or not.
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I have lived in five different places, in three different countries, doing four different jobs over the past six years and one thing that I started very early in my career has been the power and fulfillment that comes from developing a solid morning routine. Darren refers to this as the “pre-day routine”, or PDR. No matter how you slice it, a pre-day routine gives you magnificent results.
A pre-day routine is just that, it is your pre-day. It is the hour(s) before the sun rises that you can mostly control. It is that time that introverts hold onto dearly and the time that extraverts connect with themselves and their world. It is the time that no one is watching, the kids may be still sleeping (you hope) and the craziness of rush hour traffic, phone calls, and business exchanges have yet to happen.
Simply put — it is the part of the day that sets you up for the remainder of the day.
Let’s face it, you CANNOT control the day. Even if you are the most positive person in the world, the world will almost always beat you down. The parking ticket officer that issued your ticket earlier that day does not call the gas company to tell them to lower the gas prices for you after work to cut you some slack. The barista doesn’t always pour you the best cup of coffee then call our Creator to tell him to hold off on the rain so that you can take your much-needed walk at lunch. The universe just doesn’t work that way. Things don’t always go our way and the days when you feel it rains, it can sometimes pour!
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Darren and I both believe the same thing. If you can control the fringe minutes of your pre-day, you can be mentally, physically and spiritually ready to tackle anything that may come at you. A strong pre-day routine (PDR) can make you more resilient, bulletproof, more confident and better disciplined to handle the responsibilities that come with life.
Having brought energy to and from new positions in different parts of the world I can tell you that without my pre-day routine, I would be lost, inefficient, less purpose-driven and bring less confidence to my vocation, relationships and family. Having a solid PDR has given me the end I have needed to transition into a new position, change to a new gym, navigate extremely hot temperatures as well as extremely cold weather while still finding time and energy to build my relationships, write books, develop a side hustle and work full time.
If you feel a bit lost, lethargic or even if you feel you may be underachieving in life, relationships and in your vocation, I encourage you to rethink your PDR. If you don’t have a PDR — start one today. At the end of Darren’s book, he helps provide some strategies on how to develop a blueprint for success which involves a solid PDR. Pick up his book on Amazon and start today.
For those readers who may already have a well-established PDR — Keep up the solid work. Your PDR is not glamorous, but it can be glorious. It is not going to ever make you famous, but it will make you fantastic. It won’t necessarily make you a millionaire, but it will give you health and happiness which millions cannot buy.
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I wish for you to ‘go deep’ in your own life. For additional strategies on how to become more confident, organized, productive and successful in your life and vocation, I encourage you to pick up my latest ebook: Thought Leadership.
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Previously published on “The Startup”, a Medium publication.
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Photo credit: Form on Unsplash
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