Routine Adventure

Posted by Parke Ladd on May 29, 2009 in Featured {Article}, Greatness | 2 comments

Attitude is a complex and fierce beast.

Nearly everyone has a routine. Even the most complex, on the move, progressive, change the world type of people have at least some aspects of routine integrated into their daily lives. You could probably write out your morning, work, gym or eating routines right now if you had to.

It’s at this point in the discussion where most “well informed, self-help, guru type of people” would tell you to break your routine. Do something new (different) for a change! Instead of taking a shower and then brushing your teeth, try brushing your teeth while you shower! Oh, and while you’re going crazy, breaking your routine, changing your life one shower at a time, try washing your feet first instead of your ears or vice versa if you usually start with your feet.

Sometimes we genuinely believe that if we just change our routine it will somehow magically transform us into new (maybe even better!) people. Don’t buy the hype.

It’s not just your routine that’s broken; it’s also your attitude. You can’t find the time to go to the gym, to spend with your kids, to take your wife out to a great restaurant, to start that new business, to get caught up at work or to make that difficult phone call home. “It’s not me,” you say, “It’s my routine!” OR “I’m bored with life, might as well just get this day over with.”

Don’t single out your routine. Your routine is not what fundamentally got you where you are today (whether that’s a good place or bad); it’s your attitude that did, because attitudes set routines. Not the other way around.

Every day is an adventure to be had or to be lost. The majority of us lose out on the daily adventures because we become so focused on our routine, instead of our attitude, that we actually morph into our routine. We become our routine, and instead of us using it for greatness, it uses us to accomplish the only thing it can: Boredom. Your routine will rule you if you don’t change your attitude towards it.

Those who control their routines by controlling their attitudes see things differently. They see every occurrence, every moment of life as a blessing, as an opportunity to reach out, to help, or to meet someone elses need. They don’t allow their routine to suck the joy or life out of them, instead, they impart life and joy into their routine, thus giving them purpose and drive to do big things and serve in big ways.

Can your routine drag you along, give you a life of boredom and an escapist mentality? Of course it can. But, your routine can also be used for greatness, to positively influence people and to accomplish amazing tasks which you never before thought possible. The pertinent difference between the two?…Your attitude.

Don’t let the adventure of today die. Embrace it. Engage your routine with a positive, keenly-seeking-out-others type of attitude and live this day to the fullest extent. Further more, if your routine does so happen to need a change, let your transformation of attitude lead you there and not your desire to change simply due to boredom.