HI FRIENDS

Until this recent Martin Luther King Jr day, I had never noticed that MLK included what I would call a “spirit of excellence” as such a central part of his message. It’s this idea that we do all things to the best of our ability not so that they will be noticed by others, but precisely because they cannot escape the notice of ourselves. And the achievement of excellence, even in menial tasks, engenders a kind of dignity and satisfaction in a person which lifts the spirit.

Further, it captures this idea that the human person can turn each of life’s ordinary tasks into a sacred practice when undertaken as an offering to the almighty.

It’s a code that has faithfully guided me to craft a purposeful, meaningful life out of whatever circumstances that come my way.

So, here are a few thinklings that capture this spirit.

MLK’S BLUEPRINT FOR YOUR LIFE

“If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say ‘here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well.’”

Watch it ➔

RAJIV EXPLORES THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE WORLD’S BEST BED MAKERS

Rajiv is swiftly becoming this generation’s Mr Rogers. I love his gentle, honest and practical videos about doing everyday things with great care. This video in particular shows how a spirit of excellence shapes everything that they do in this Swedish bed-making factory.

Watch it ➔

AN INTERVIEW WITH MLK’S FRIEND AND SPEECH WRITER

The interview finished with this banger:

“Commit yourself irredeemably to the pursuit of personal excellence,” he says emphatically. “Be the very best that you can be. If you do that. . . our color becomes more relevant, because we demonstrate ‘black is beautiful’ not as some slogan, but black is beautiful because of its commitment to personal excellence, which has no color.”

Read it ➔

What types of work that I do tend to draw a spirit of excellence out of me?
What aspects of my life could I try to do excellently even though no one else will notice?

HI FRIENDS

Normally in the new year people start making their resolutions. I love it. There’s nothing wrong with using the new year as an opportunity to mark a refreshing ritual of transformation. But sometimes the goal-setting ferver can be counter-productive and even distracting. So I thought it would be fun to collect together some thinklings which question “goals” in favour of something more wholistic: your calling.

So, grab yourself a big bucket of salt, and enjoy some of these thinklings with me.

A TED TALK ABOUT WHY YOU SHOULD STOP SETTING GOALS

In this talk, Emmanuel Acho shares some interesting thoughts on the reasons that we set goals. “We’ve been indoctrinated with a belief that we have to set goals to achieve.”

Watch it ➔

JAMES CLEAR ON SWAPPING GOALS FOR SYSTEMS

“The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game. True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It’s not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.

With outcome-based habits, the focus is on what you want to achieve. With identity-based habits, the focus is on who you wish to become.

Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.”

—James Clear, Atomic Habits

A random user on Twitter: “I like to clarify my roles rather more than my goals.”

MESSI DOESN’T THINK ABOUT SCORING

This video starts off as a technical dissection of Messi’s approach to defending, but by the 5 minute mark, it turns into a fascinating insight into the mindset of the greatest player in history. “Every time, I go out on the pitch”, he says, “I think less about the goal and more about the game”.

Watch it ➔

CONSIDERING CONDITION-DIRECTEDNESS

I found this short blog post, although heady, quite intriguing. Katya uses the language of “condition orientation” to describe a different way of being purposeful where simple goals no longer work.

Read it ➔