Cru’s Letter

How much of your daily to-do list is under your own authority?

If you have 19 things to do, how many of those things are because you told yourself to do them? How many of them are because someone else told you?

I ask because you might spend a lot of time doing the things you don’t actually care about, probably through the orders of a boss, a teacher, a parent, etc. Then, when it comes time to work on a hobby, go to the gym, cook a nice meal, it’s hard to find the energy to do it there go your own expectations down the drain.

If you fail to meet your own expectations consistently, that’s a dangerous game to play because bosses and teachers may come and go but you…

You never leave.

To be in charge of your own life, you have to respect your own authority just as you respect the authority of another person.

If you told someone you respect that you were going to fold your laundry and then the next day they came by your house and saw a mountain of clothes on your bed, you’d probably feel pretty embarrassed. When you respect your own authority, you’d actually feel that same level of embarrassment because you didn’t meet the expectation of the person you respect (you).

Think about when you have to do something…

Why do you have to?

Who defines whether you have to do something or not?

If you told yourself to go on a run tomorrow, does that mean you have to?

If you told your best friend you’ll run tomorrow, does that mean you have to?

If you bought a running program that prescribed a run tomorrow, do you have to do it?

Really think about what holds the authority in your life and recognize that’s what owns your decisions. If you don’t like who owns your decisions right now…

You better start listening to the right voice.

-Cru

P.S. I filmed a Q&A podcast a couple months ago where I talk about real ways to build self respect…

Check it out on Spotify or watch on YouTube here: