We Are What We Do
Hey Team,here we are again! It’s good to be with you. I wanted to share a little quote from Aristotle. For those of you who don’t know, he said: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
Excellence is not an act but a habit. I talk about habits a lot, and I’m learning more about them all the time. I recently read Atomic Habits by James Clear. Even before that, I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how to do a better job in different areas of my life, particularly in leadership. The key to all of this is building habits of excellence—making sacrifices and doing the hard things over and over again. It’s about striving to do the right things, stumbling and falling, but always getting back up and pursuing your dreams.
Your life is shaped by what you do consistently. If you’re wondering why you don’t have what you want most in life, take a look at your habits. What are you doing every day? The things you practice daily either help you achieve or prevent you from achieving your goals.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
You can want something deeply, but if your habits are working against you, you might not even realize it. Subtle sacrifices are necessary. If you’re spending three or four hours—or more—just sitting and watching TV, that’s not going to promote growth in your life. I remember reading an article about Lamborghini. Someone asked why Lamborghini doesn’t have TV commercials. The answer? Lamborghini’s audience doesn’t watch TV.
Lamborghinis are expensive, luxury cars—priced at $400,000, $500,000, or even $600,000. Their audience consists of the rich and ultra-rich, people who are likely not sitting around watching television or scrolling through TikTok. That really struck a chord with me.
Personally, I don’t spend much time on social media either. Those of you who are friends with me on social media might notice I don’t post much, and I don’t spend a lot of time reading it. I do scroll occasionally because I enjoy leadership quotes and insightful content, but I’ve programmed my feed to show me more of those types of posts.
What I don’t engage with is drama. When people share all the details of their personal issues on social media, I tend to unfriend them. I’m not a therapist, and I have no interest in consuming that kind of content. During the election season, I didn’t post memes or arguments supporting one side or tearing down the other. It’s not where I choose to focus my energy.
Instead, I dedicate my time to what drives me and aligns with my goals. As we approach 2025, I encourage you to reflect on where your focus lies. I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, but I believe in starting now. Turn off the television. Put down your phone. Pick up a book.
Write out a list of your dreams and visions. Where do you want to be in five years?
Two years? One year? Six months? Go to the gym, take a walk, or listen to an uplifting podcast. Choose things that will lift you up and steer you toward growth. Let go of the fluff—the things that don’t truly matter.
In this beautiful week, this beautiful month, and the rest of this beautiful year, I want to say, God bless you. Have a wonderful week, and I’ll talk to you later.
Oh, and don’t forget: let’s be valuable—nothing less will do.
