The Dream Dean

Monday, January 10, 2022

Relaxing Music for the month: Healing Hands: Liquid Mind (12:01) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hdwGhA4l50

I decided that this semester, I’m going to requirement the students in my three classes:

• HHS125: What Could I Do With My Life
• HHS135: Redesign a Life You’ll Love
• ENT/HHS250: Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurship/Side Hustle 101

Will be required to join (and have access to) Brian Johnson’s Optimize web site (https://www.optimize.me/). I have found it so, so much better than any text book out there, especially if you’re interested in covering a variety topics. My favorites things from the web site are: (1) Philosophers Notes, and (2) Philosophers Notes TV (PNTV). The Philosopher’s Notes are 6 page PDF and 20 minute MP3’s of books that he’s read (over 600 and counting); PNTV are 10-15 minute videos of the same books, although he’s only done about 300 of these. I have found MORE wisdom through these notes than ANY one book that I’ve read! To be honest, after reading/watching/listening to his review, I’ve actually bought many of the books he’s reviewed. Hence, my 3,000+ book collection.

This morning, I read THREE Steve Chandler Notes; there was a statement in one that really stuck me – one that actually came from a Philosophers Note by James Clear’s Atomic Habits (check it out here: https://www.optimize.me/pn/atomic-habits-james-clear). There was a statement about “identity” that seemed to be at the core of Life Design Catalyst work, especially since this work is based on two questions:

• Who must I FEARLESSLY become?
• What is life asking of me?

These two questions are the foundation of the purpose work we do as Life Design Catalyst. Here’s the excerpt about identity that resonated with me:

“Identity change is the North Star of habit change. The remainder of this book (Atomic Habits) will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to build better habits for yourself, your family, your team, your company, and anywhere else you wish. But the true question is: ‘Are you becoming the type of person you want to become?’ The first step is not what or how, but who. You need to know who you want to be. Otherwise, your quest for change is like a boat without a rudder. And that’s why we’re starting here.

You have the power to change your beliefs about yourself. Your identity is not set in stone. You have a choice in every moment. You can choose the identity you want to reinforce today with habits you choose today. And this brings us to the deeper purpose of this book and the real reason habits matter.

Building better habits isn’t about littering your day with life hacks. It’s not about flossing one tooth each night or taking a cold shower each morning or wearing the same outfit each day. It’s not about achieving external measures of success like earning more money, losing weight, or reducing stress. Habits can help you achieve all of these things, but fundamentally they are not about having something. They are about becoming someone.

Ultimately, your habits matter because they help you become the type of person you wish to be. They are the channel through which you develop your deepest beliefs about yourself. Quite literally, you become your habits.”

So the question you have to ask yourself is, “Who do I want to become?”

What’s your answer?