Hundreds of thousands of words have been written about success and failure and there are hundreds of thousands more to come. Bookshelves are teeming with volume after volume of sage advice on every area of life.

So what could possibly be new in this field?

The answer may shock you.

If you’ve been following my work for a while, you know that I am a big believer in taking control of our minds’ through routine. Routine gives you the structure to build control in your life, and through control you get small wins.

Small wins lead to a heightened level of self-esteem, which leads to increased confidence and better results.

The wheel then spins back around and reinforces itself with stronger routines, bigger goals and higher achievement.

Interestingly, the self validation comes from external wins, rather than internal accomplishments.

And the majority of people seek validation and increased self-esteem from external forces.

From people.

From events.

From things.

So what does this tell us?

External validation is a major factor in positive self-esteem. Unless you live in a cave that is.

So for you and me, what matters is the small scale practices every day. The daily experiences that provide us with the raw materials to give meaning to our lives.

The root of success and failure is in the simple experiences of every day. It is here that we use external stimuli to validate our personal belief systems. And it is from here that our deepest internal blockages are laid bare for us to look at, work with and dissolve.

Without the simple daily practices that trigger us, we would never know what we need to release.

Are you capturing your learnings daily? If not, start today.

Share your thoughts below.

Until next time.

Chris