Kindness and Strictness
- Oliver
- Aug 24, 2020
- 2 min read
There is a prolific saying in the Islamic tradition: Tie your camel before you place your faith in God.
What does this mean?
We are strongly encouraged to put our faith and trust in God, and we are taught that we will be rewarded in the afterlife for doing so; however, this becomes moot and useless if we do not take the necessary precautions and steps needed to activate or maintain change or even begin a new chapter in your life.
It boils down to common sense. Imagine: You are applying for a home loan at the local bank. You cannot expect the bank to give you a loan if your finances are not in order and your credit history is abysmal.
You must have your affairs in order before you apply.
You cannot lie in bed, praying to God to change your life. It will not happen; you must do something. You must get off your ass and do something. Good things come to those who wait, but the early bird gets the worm.
So, how do we maintain consistency when we implement beneficial changes in our lives?
Given that you have been implementing small incremental changes it then becomes a matter of keeping those aforementioned gradual changes within the scope of possibility, meaning that you are acutely aware and present with your state which then means that you deeply attune yourself to your limitations and capabilities.
Do not lift a boulder when you cannot lift a spoon.
Another factor crucial to those needing to maintain consistency with their routines is kindness to yourself. You are your boss and your employee.
Would you work for a boss who pushes you to your limits and then fails to recognize your efforts and fails to compensate you financially? Of course not.
Treat yourself like a kind, gentle, loving, caring and affectionate boss.
Imagine: Your boss (You) told you to wake up early, meditate, prepare breakfast, clean the kitchen, stretch then exercise then go work on personal projects, and all of this before 11 AM. Reward yourself! You deserve it! Relax on the couch, watch something funny, call a friend, have a nap! Your boss (You) has acknowledged your efforts, now reap the well-deserved reward.
If you reward yourself whenever you do something that you do not want to do, guess what happens? You eventually begin to do that thing without needing a reward!
The ultimate goal is to attain internal mental homeostasis, which is another way of saying reaching a level where you action your newly developed micro habits and routines with little to no effort which means that they are now the new ‘norm’ in your life.
This point varies for different people; for me, it was 30 days before I achieved homeostasis.
Treat yourself like a kind yet strict boss so you can maintain consistency.
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