Welcome back to the 1st Law Newsletter - Friday Edition.

In this email:

• Leading and lagging indicators

• Positive affirmations

• Don’t compete, just bloom

Leading and lagging indicators

Not all things in your life will work out at once. Progress is hard to see. Indicators of progress come in many forms and time frames. A leading indicator notifies you very quickly that something is happening and changing, while lagging indicators show up late and should be treated as undeniable confirmation of the result.

For example, in martial arts, a leading indicator of your progress is having a good class. Having a day when things feel fluid, you are thinking clearly, reacting instinctively and finding success with techniques. A lagging indicator of progress is actually getting promoted to a new belt. By the time you get promoted, you probably had a feeling that it was coming and it is simply a confirmation of what you already thought.

There are many other lagging indicators in life. Making money is one of the biggest lagging indicators. Money will come only after you have been focused on a great idea for a significant amount of time, working consistently and diligently. Before you make the money, you can feel that you deserve it. You can feel that success is coming your way. Once the money hits your account, the success is undeniable.

On the topic of health and improving your physical wellbeing, I believe mental health is a leading indicator, while physical health is a lagging indicator. If you eat poorly, sleep poorly and don’t exercise, your mental health will be affected almost immediately. Grogginess, depression and brain fog could appear right away. However, your physical health can remain the same for a few days to a few weeks depending on your initial state. The negative affects will be felt mentally long before they are felt physically. The same goes for positive progress. Eating clean, sleeping well and consistency exercising will make you feel healthy and sharp mentally long before you see the progress. By the time you notice your body changing, you already knew the person you were becoming. The habits were speaking for themselves long before the results were visible.

Positive Affirmations

Be careful what you joke about with yourself. Your spirit does not know its a joke. I try to be careful with the words that I say. I know that I can convince myself of something if I repeat it enough times. For this reason, positive self talk is important. If I tell myself ‘I’m so dumb” every time I make a mistake, I may start to believe it. Instead, say something along the lines of “I made a mistake, that is okay. I will learn from it and avoid similar mistakes in the future”. This alone could make a massive difference in confidence over a lifetime of decision making and problem solving.

I have recently added some affirmations into my daily life. Other phrases I tell myself:

“I am always present and in the moment.”

“I am happy for what I already have.”

“Id rather fail at something I love than succeed at something I hate.”

“I know that pain is temporary, but quitting is forever. I will never quit.”

“My happiness comes from within and is not predicated on my surroundings.”

“My thoughts and actions align with my goals.”

And many more… Let me know if you have any phrases you like to tell yourself!

Quote I Want To Share

Everybody is on their own path. Set goals for yourself and measure your happiness against them. Do not let your happiness become based on other peoples progress. The highest from of maturity is being independent of others opinions.

Thanks for reading!

Lucas