Structure
The boys go back to school on Tuesday. All four of us are looking forward to it! A lot! We've had a great summer, full of adventures, experiences, memories, and travels. I hope the boys permanently cement some of what we experienced into their brains. I'm truly grateful for these past few months. However, it's time to get back to "normal."
More importantly, I'm excited to get back into a solid structure. Structure is one of those things we spend our entire lives trying to avoid and rebel against. On the surface, most of us want to fly by the seat of our pants, live willy nilly, and do what we want when we want. That's often cited as one of the primary reasons people want to start businesses. They are trying to escape the structure that normal life often dictates to us.
Today, though, I want to counter this inclination. I'm pro-structure. Actually, I'm deeply convinced that structure is what allows us to thrive. While I spent decades trying to avoid structure, I've spent the past six years intentionally working to create structure in every phase of my life. I'm not militant about it. I'm not a victim of it. I don't let it drive my life. Rather, I create, tweak, and perfect various forms of structure that enable me to be my best. Things like:
When I get up and go to bed.
What I wear.
When and what I eat.
Where I sit in rooms.
What I take with me everywhere I go.
The people I regularly spend time with.
The order I sequence my work.
The days I do various types of activities.
The habits that connect to particular actions.
I create structure anywhere I can find a way to create structure. Sarah and the boys often laugh at me, but that structure is what allows me to handle all that's on my plate.
On the negative side of this conversation, I STRUGGLE when I lose my structure. I simply haven't been my best over the past several months. I've let a lot of people down and whiffed on many different endeavors. The lack of structure is killing me. I desperately need to get my structure back, and God willing, this is the week it happens!
This is simple stuff for some of you, but for others, this might be the one piece that can help you unlock your best self and most meaningful day-to-day life. Perhaps this is the week you start adding structure. Start small. Add one piece of structure and see how it goes. Then, add another. Build, test, iterate, repeat. It might just unlock the next best season of your life!
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