If You Stick With The Basics

My former spiritual advisor had a few heroes he looked up to and admired. One of them would say, “If you stick with the basics, you never have to go back to the basics.” I tend to get ahead of myself on multiple fronts and leave the basics in the rearview mirror. What I’m learning in this newest iteration is another term for “the basics” could be “a foundation.” For me, the basics and a foundation are the same thing at this stage. I have to lay a solid foundation and I haven’t done that in the past. I’ve built things that were shaky at best and they inevitably collapsed when any type of disturbance occurred.

The benefits of a solid foundation, of sticking with the basics, is stability. There’s a comfort in knowing and doing certain things. There’s a comfort in a routine. The older I become, the more like a child I become. Meaning, as a child, my parents mad sure I ate at a certain time, I took my bath at a certain time, I went to sleep at a certain time. I got up, got dressed, and went to school at a certain time. Along the way, bouncing from one career to the next, I lost the stability, the consistency of a routine. I strayed from the basics.

There’s a certain freedom with entrepreneurship. There’s the ability to set your own schedule. The ability to work your own hours. The ability to hone in and focus on the aspects of business you enjoy. Those things are totally different from a position within a corporation. Within an organization who have assigned responsibilities. When those aren’t met, you’re eventually terminated as a direct result of being unable to fulfill the tasks for which you were hired.

Unlike being your own boss, straying from basics when working with an organization can lead to severe consequences. I have to begin to think of my purpose, my business, and my life as if I’m working for someone else. And in fact, I am. He is my employer. I do what he has tasked me to do. If I don’t get it done, it won’t get done. So, I have to begin to treat my life, in every area, like I was working for an organization. To not complete my duties will result in my termination. But not just from a job, but from Grace.

Today, Monday, August 21, 2023, I am grateful that:

The weekend was relaxing. I’m happy with the way things turned out. I unplugged, rested, chilled, and basically did nothing. Some call it self care. I call it recharging the battery. Whatever term you choose, make sure to take a bit of time to gather yourself, your thoughts, and your serenity.

My circle of friends is dwindling or rather, it’s dwindled down to a small few. It’s something that I’m totally ok with, having had that experience before. I’ll continue to move forward knowing He will place those needed for this iteration exactly where they are needed, when needed the most.

Today was relaxing. It wasn’t much I chose to accomplish today and I did that well. I sat around, chilled, and enjoyed my time off. It’s a repeat of the weekend and that’s fine by me. I’ll begin this work week refreshed and ready to accomplish more than I did last week.

What’s your routine?

How could it change to help you improve?

What’s one thing you could do to enhanc

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