I have a simple view of all of life's choices that come at me every day. Here are the usual suspects that I struggle with most days:
- Every workout (that would be easy to skip).
- Every smart meal (that does battle with my urge to eat that donut).
- Every meditation (when I feel like I don't have time to meditate).
- Every restful sleep (when I wanted to watch one more episode of "Ted Lasso").
Each of those choices I make is a small vote being cast toward the type of person I want to be. In each case, I try to cast a vote for someone who is going to be stronger than yesterday. I'll never be perfect. I will still make the easy choice when I could do better.
But—I've realized that even one good choice edges out a bad one. And in the accounting of the day (that I usually run through in my mind as I try to drift off to sleep), each healthy choice makes me a tiny bit stronger than I was before.
So I don't chase perfection. Instead, I just try to make the next choice be one that makes me a little stronger tomorrow. So I can be stronger than yesterday. As I say to my young kids when I drop them off at school..."Make good choices!"
That's the reason I created Todd's Power Oats. I wanted to increase the likelihood that I would make one of the first choices of the day—What to eat for breakfast?—a good choice that I could look back on and know that I'm choosing to be stronger than yesterday. Don't beat yourself up thinking about being perfect for the next month, or week, or even the next day. Just make the next decision a healthy one.
Be good to yourself!
