What are the ingredients needed to get the outcomes you want?
Most people think of an outcome they want, and leave it at that. They want the end result (to lose weight, to have run a marathon, to have a thriving community) and think that envisioning the result is enough to “manifest” it into the world.
But that’s not how it works.
One analogy is that it’s like baking a cake. You can’t just envision a cake and have it appear. You have to assemble the ingredients, mix them in the right way, and then you get a cake. It’s not hard, and you can follow a recipe, but you have to go through the baking process to get the outcome of a cake.
For any outcome you want, there’s likely a recipe to follow.
— If you want to run a marathon, there are hundreds of training plans online. The hard part is actually following the plan.
— If you want to lose weight, the “recipe” generally boils down to eat less, and exercise more.
— If you want more community, reach out to others more, and listen to what they share.
The part most people miss is that they focus on the outcome they want, instead of the daily habits that will create that outcome. The “ingredients” of the “cake” are building the routines that you repeat each day to get the outcome you want. Once you translate the outcome into daily actions, you can decide that you will commit to those actions to get the outcome. Or not. You have a choice.
A few ingredients that are common in successful healthy people:
— Sleep well. Sleep is a foundational component for physical and mental health.
— Exercise. Our bodies are built to move, and our minds work better when we don’t sit all day.
— Eat well. Our food is the fuel for our bodies and minds, and when we have high quality food, everything functions better.
— Read and listen. Learn from the wisdom and experiences of others.
— Connect. Humans are social animals, and don’t do well alone.
— Pay attention (or meditation or mindfulness). While this can be spiritual, the practical habit is learning to notice what is actually happening, rather than delude ourselves with what we want to happen.
What are the daily habits that help you towards the outcomes you want?