The Three Pillars of Self-Improvement | Weekbook #27

The most common mistake with self-improvement is the negligence shown to at least one of the three core pillars. Unless balance is struck between them all, one cannot hope to discover what they're searching for on their journey. However, the obvious pre-requisite to finding balance is obtaining understanding.

Physicality is perhaps the most obvious and certainly the one where the majority focus most. Physicality is clearly defined. It is the practice of keeping oneself fit and healthy by practicing a good exercise routine and following a clean diet.

Mentality is something that frequent binge watchers of motivational videos from the likes of Gary Vee, Tony Robbins and David Goggins will have an understanding of. For everyone else, this is the practice of discipline, focus and action. A strong mentality is critical to achieving personal goals, and success will live, or die, by its strength.

Training this muscle is more difficult than the physical form. It isn't possible to lift weights to improve motivation. Quite simply, mentality comes down to decision making. There is always a choice to either do, or not do, what needs to be done. Only when one starts making the right choices can a strong mentality be built.

Spirituality on the other hand is often the forgotten one of the three.

Spirituality is the practice of being in touch with oneself. It is about understanding emotions, thoughts and the soul. Through activities such as meditation, journalling and yoga, one can learn to become more in tune with the inner-self.

The importance of spirituality cannot be overstated. In an overstimulated world, disconnection from oneself is understandable and common, though avoidable, and discovering the path to reconnection is vital to long-term success.

So, why is balance important? To be candid, one cannot truly be successful without the others. By way of an example, consider this - to achieve the dream physical form, consistency is required, which in turn can only be achieved with mental discipline, and by extension this discipline is made easier when one is in touch with their own thoughts and feelings, which helps to control emotions.

Consequently, training and developing each of the three pillars is essential to long-term success.

Reading Notes

A collection of my favourite articles, Twitter threads and newsletters from this week, annotated with my highlights and thoughts.

• Why small things matter, reframing failure, and how to cherish life by James Clear

• The Blind Men and the Elephant by Sahil Bloom

Try this Podcast

As an avid fan of history, I have been binge listening to the Rest is History podcast by historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. Recently, I've been listening to the four part series on the hundred years war.

Ending Quote

"What we think, we become." - Buddha.

Thumbnail credit: Photo by Jens Peter Olesen on Unsplash