record — the ceiling becomes the floor !
How do you make it habit ?
Retreat .
By definition , the word retreat means to move back . The irony ? That ’ s how you make forward progress . It ’ s as counterintuitive as the law of diminishing return — less is more .
If you want to make or break a habit , it ’ s a lot like learning a new dance . My repertoire is pretty limited but I can floss , churn the butter , and I do a pretty mean running man . How did I learn those dance moves ? I had to break it down and slow it down . Then , and only then , was I able to go faster . Simply put , you cannot hurry habits ! You have to retreat in order to advance .
Remember Alice in Wonderland ? She ran as fast as she could to keep up with the Red
Queen , but she doesn ’ t gain any ground . Ever feel like that ? “ Here we must run as fast as we can just to stay in place ,” says the queen . “ And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that .” How do we get off the merrygo-round that goes faster and faster ? You ’ ve got to get off the grid . How ? Here ’ s a simple idea : day off , phone off .
Next time you read the gospels , notice how often Jesus withdraws . Jesus was retreating all time — climbing mountains , walking beaches , sailing across the Sea of Galilee . He even spent forty days in the wilderness ! Evidently , the best way to make progress is by retreating with great frequency and intentionality ! Jesus operated with a sense of urgency , yet he was unhurried . In the words of Japanese theologian , Kosuke Koyama , he was the Three Mile An Hour God .
I live by a little formula : change of pace + change of place = change of perspective .
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