How You Do That Thing

In my coaching, I teach my clients one simple tool that will help them in all areas of their life.

Although I learned it from a mentor of mine, Bob Proctor…it is a well known saying in business.  In fact, Simon Sinek quotes it in his book Leaders Eat Last:  Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t.

This simple tool is a phrase.  As Sinek specifically states, “As the Zen Buddhist saying goes, how you do anything is how you do everything.” 

This is a profound statement if you really stop to think about it. And today, this phrase came to mind here at the close of the day in a more personal way.  Let me explain.

This morning, I rose at 4:30am to go to a cycling class at the gym. This is a commitment I made to myself last week to start exercising every day.  At the half point of the class, the instructor said, “Here is the home stretch!  This is my favorite part of the ride.  I know it is almost over and I know I will make it home.”

This caught my interest immediately.

“Interesting,” I thought. “I like the beginning.  I like the excitement, the anticipation, the novelty of doing something new! A new ride, a new run, a new day, a new year, a new career, or a new relationship. That is my favorite part,” I thought to myself.

I went about my day without thinking of this again.  Until my book club.  I host a book club and tonight was the first evening of our third book we are reading together.  We are reading “Everything Is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo.

In the initial Zoom call tonight, there was an overriding theme amongst the participants.  We all love the beginning!  We all see ourselves as great starters!  Of course, there is always the other side of the coin.  And I am sure you have already guessed it.  Finishing is not our fortè. We do not see ourselves as strong finishers.

This in and of itself allowed me to take notice, but not to be very alarmed.  

After the book club was over, I made my way upstairs to the kitchen to clean up from dinner.  I was a little rushed between work and the book club and didn’t have time to finish cleaning up. As the  cleaning almost came to an end, there were just 3 pieces left.  I thought, ” I will let them soak and clean them in the morning.”  Then…BAM!  Like a lightening bolt it hit me.

My lesson came to me in that instant.  “How I do one thing is how I do EVERYTHING,” I started saying over and over in my mind…as I cleaned those last three pieces until they were sparkling clean!

I have been teaching this to my clients for over two years, yet failed to see the simplicity in this teaching until today.  Of course, I have seen it in action in other parts of my life.  But in this simple act of doing the dishes, I learned so much about myself and my habits.

Mindsets and habits go hand in hand.  Being successful in any area of your life may require you to be a little more Zen than you think.  

If we want to be successful in business, we will want to notice how we do even the little things in our lives.  As we truly take notice how we do everything in our life habitually, we also see the seed to change.

Paying attention to the moment is an act of mindfulness.  Living mindfully will unveil the patterns in our lives.  As the veil is lifted, we see the tapestry that has made our life as it is today.  To weave a new tapestry, we must intertwine new thoughts and habits into the very fabric of everything we do and say. 

We must weave these thoughts and habits into our very being.  As little as one new thought and/or one new habit will allow a new reality to emerge.   These small shifts can lead to some pretty big changes in the long run.   

I am sure you can see the power of the ripple effect of one new habit performed repeatedly in every area of your life. And if you couple the new habit with being mindful of when you succeed, you will see the new tapestry emerge even more quickly in your life.  Being mindful of your success will signal your subconscious mind to take notice of what you are doing well.  And as the saying goes, what you focus on grows and expands.

As for me, I will make my best effort to start finishing strong (pun intended).  I will take note of every time I finish cleaning the dishes, finish a workout, finish a work project, or even finish tying my shoes.  Because as I see myself as being successful at doing a job to completion, I will actually complete everything well.  

 So the next time you do anything, remember … it is really how you do everything.  

P.S. I would love to hear any insights you have from this post in the comments:)