The Stonemason's Secret:
Daily Chisel Strokes to Your Hero's Journey

Young warrior, have you ever stood beneath the towering gaze of Michelangelo's David?

A masterpiece carved from a single block of marble.

But how did such a magnificent creation come to be?

Was it a single, inspired stroke of genius?

No.

It was the result of countless daily chisel strokes, each one chipping away at the rock, revealing the hero within.

Your journey, like Michelangelo's David, is trapped within a block of potential.

You see glimpses of your greatness, the leader you could become, the life you crave.

But frustration sets in when the path to get there seems unclear or overwhelming.

The key lies in embracing daily progress.

Remember Luke Skywalker in the swamps of Dagobah?

Yoda, the wise Jedi Master, didn't send him on a grand quest to conquer the Empire.

He tasked him with a challenging, but not impossible, task: lifting his X-wing fighter with the Force.

Daily practice, one small step at a time.

That's the secret most heroes forget.

"Progress leads, identity lags." - Nick Milo

You won't wake up a master overnight, just as Michelangelo didn't unveil a finished David on day one.

It's the consistent chipping away that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Let's explore the challenges you face on your hero's journey:

• The Incompleteness Trap: You see the finished product, the successful leader, and feel discouraged by your current state. Remember, David was once just a block of marble. Focus on the daily chisel strokes, the progress you can control.
• The Feast or Famine Cycle: One day you're fired up, taking massive action. The next, you're buried in self-doubt. Consistency beats intensity. Small, sustainable daily actions are more effective than sporadic bursts of effort.
• The Comparison Game: You see others seemingly ahead, their success a glaring reminder of your own perceived shortcomings. Don't get caught in this trap. Every hero has their own journey, their own block of marble to sculpt. Focus on your own daily progress, not someone else's finished masterpiece.

The Tools of the Stonemason:
Building Your Daily Ritual

So, how do you cultivate this consistent progress, this daily sculpting of your hero's journey?

Here are your tools:

• The Morning Ritual: Start your day with intention. Dedicate time to activities that center you and fuel your purpose. Maybe it's meditation, journaling, or reading inspirational stories.
• The Single Most Important Task (SMIT): Identify one crucial task that moves you closer to your goal each day. Focus on accomplishing this before tackling anything else.
• The Power of Small Wins: Celebrate your daily victories, no matter how small. Did you finish your workout? Did you write a single page? Acknowledge and celebrate these milestones - they fuel your motivation.

Progress, Not Perfection:
The Michelangelo Mindset

Remember, Michelangelo wasn't aiming for perfection with each chisel stroke.

He was chipping away, trusting the process, and letting the hero within slowly emerge.

Here's the liberating truth: you're not faking it till you make it.

With each daily action, you're becoming it.

The leader, the artist, the hero you envision yourself to be.

The Takeaway:
Embrace the Journey, One Chisel Stroke at a Time

The path to greatness is paved with countless daily steps.

It's not about grand gestures or overnight success.

It's about the consistent chipping away, the daily commitment to progress.

Embrace the journey, young warrior.

Celebrate your small wins.

Trust the process.

With each disciplined action, you reveal the hero trapped within, ready to claim his rightful place in the world.

Remember, Michelangelo didn't create David in a single day. He did it, chisel stroke by chisel stroke, and so will you.

P.S. I visited Florence for the first time in 2013 to see the David and the Duomo (The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore), things I had read about since I was a kid.

It was a life-changing trip for me and my wife, since then we've taken 3-week holidays all over the world, seeing places, eating food, and making friends.

Those trips literally saved my marriage, my health, and my life; expanding my horizons further and deeper than I could have ever imagined.

Make plans for your own trips, plan something that knocks it out of the park, then take 6-12 months to save the money you need to be able to do the trip and enjoy, making sure that you have enough money to spend on the little things that add to it, i.e. a meal at a restaurant you saw on Netflix, booking an all-day boat getaway, buying silly souvenirs to remind you of the trip.

And take lots of pictures! I put them on my digital picture frame to remind me of the good times. And to make plans to revisit again.