Catch the Drift

“Progress is not achieved by luck or accident, but by working on yourself daily.” — Epictetus

The Obstacle

We make promises to ourselves.

That we’ll change.
Do better.

Argue less.
Leave work at work.
Stop stressing over the small stuff.
Stop stressing over what we can’t control.

Spend more time with the people we love.
Be present.

Be less quick to anger.
Yell less.
Correct less.

Maybe we promised we’d work out.
Eat better.

Then… we drift.

Not dramatically.
Not all at once.
Softly.
Slowly.
One compromise at a time.

We rely on autopilot to get us there.
But autopilot only takes us where it always has.
It only does what it already knows.

Autopilot was set a long time ago.
It keeps flying the same route.

It won’t get  us there…

The Gift and Opportunity

Drift will happen.
It isn’t failure unless it goes uncorrected.
It’s useful information.
Feedback.

The system is outdated.
It requires manual override… often.
Autopilot doesn’t self-correct.
It waits for input.

Set your intention each morning.
Watch for drift throughout the day.
Take the controls consistently.
Reprogram the software.
One correction at a time.

Do this enough and it sticks.
Becomes the default.

The Practice of Self-Mastery

• Notice the drift

• Take the controls

• Set intention in the morning

• Watch for it all day

• Reprogram slowly, one correction at a time

  CHEAT CODE: NOTICE THE DRIFT→ CORRECT COURSE → REPEAT → REPROGRAM