3MN: A simple way to be significantly better at anything.
Happy 3-Minute Thursday!
You are busy, so let's make this quick. No fluff, no filler, no spamming. Your breakthrough is 3 minutes away.
💬 In the next 3 minutes:
- If you find yourself worrying about the future, remember this.
- How to spot dangerous distraction.
- How to pick your next flower.
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🌸 Minute 1 - Focus on the flower.
This is a tip I pulled from my new book, A Story On Purpose. In this particular scene, we follow a young man named Ethan who's grappling with the search for meaning in his life. Despite his best efforts, he often finds himself slipping back into his old, unproductive habits. It's during this challenging time that his mentor, Don, imparts a valuable piece of wisdom: the importance of the 3Ds - direction, discipline, and development. If you're interested, I delve deeper into these concepts right here.
However, Ethan still feels trapped in a relentless cycle of failure. Every time he encounters an obstacle, he regresses into those familiar patterns. It's a frustrating pattern that many of us can relate to - the desire for change, the attempt to break free, the discomfort of change, and ultimately, the return to old habits.
The scene takes an unexpected turn when Ethan vents his frustrations to a friend while they work together in the garden. "Focus on the flower," his friend advises. It might sound strange at first - how can focusing on a flower really help Ethan escape his cycle of failure?
In essence, this advice means concentrating on one task at a time. Just as you can't plant all the flowers in a garden simultaneously, you can't tackle all your life's challenges at once. Instead, you can dedicate your attention to one thing at a time. If you find yourself worrying about the future, remember that the only thing you need to do right now is precisely what you're doing. This singular focus has the power to help you achieve more than you could ever imagine.
☠️ Minute 2 - Dangerous distractions.
The most dangerous distractions are the ones you love, but that don’t love you back. - James Clear
Sometimes, the things or people we really care about can actually be the most distracting. You can certainly focus on the wrong flower.
Take, for instance, a situation where you're spending a lot of your time and effort on a friend who doesn't give back in the same way. Wrong flower!
📈 Minute 3 - How to pick your next flower.
If you want to be a great writer, then having a best-selling book is wonderful. But the only way to reach that result is to fall in love with the process of writing.
If you want to be in the best shape of your life, then losing 25 pounds might be necessary. But your flower to focus on this week might be to walk the neighborhood every day with a friend.
If you want to be significantly better at anything (parenting, entrepreneurship, faithfulness), then you have to fall in love with the process, not the desired result.
What is something you can do today that is small enough to guarantee you will do it, but big enough to move you closer to your desired outcome?
Focus on THAT flower.
VERSE OF THE WEEK 🔥
F, B A S, W I T, W I N, W I R, W I P, W I L, W I A—I A I E O P—T A S T.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. - Philippians 4:8
Until next week,
Payton Minzenmayer
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A Story On Purpose is a relatable and practical story that follows the journey of a young man who embarks on a transformative quest guided by five life-changing principles.