You Are In Charge of Yourself

When author and historian Robert Caro climbs out of the pool each morning after finishing his swimming routine, he showers, puts on a fresh shirt and tie with his signature blue blazer. He then walks five blocks to work. Caro works alone, in an office surround by pegboards, file cabinets, and his desk. He has little or no contact with the outside world, save for a few passing people on Fifth Avenue. Yet, he’s dressed for the day, not because he has a meeting or lunch date, but because he needs to tell himself he is going to work. The clothes he puts on signal to him that it’s time to produce. Caro starts each day with a blank sheet of paper in front of him. His livelihood depends on filling it with words. Caro is self-employed — and, because of this, it is dependent on his ability to sustain excellent self-discipline.

Because of our current crisis, many of us are now somewhat self-employed. We have been instructed to stay home (for good reason), work remotely, and become self-disciplined with our new routine. We are forced to adjust to something new and more difficult; yet, we must be able to produce the same results.

We are in charge of ourselves. We now set our hours; we now determine the amount of work we accomplish each day; we now have that blank piece of paper staring back at us. We can waste time and watch Amazon Prime or Netflix or we can show self-discipline, self-control and earn the respect of those watching us perform. With those we love in the same spot, we can lead by example. We can craft the routine we need to continue our success, and as a bonus, provide a life lesson to those we lead along the way.

We must spend time cultivating the routine that maximizes our efficiency. Know that not showering each morning and slumbering around our living room is never going to produce the best version of ourselves. Just because we don’t get in our car to head to work does not mean we have a green light to be complacent and cut corners. Start the day the same way — finish it differently.

Be like Robert Caro. Fill today’s blank page.

P.S. If you are in search of a book recommendation, our team at The Daily Coach highly recommends The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield. This book emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectively shows how to reach the highest level of creative discipline.

Please forward and share this email with your friends and family.