I'm guilty of putting more on my plate than I can eat, figuratively speaking. I pack as much as possible into my days, weeks and months and inevitably most things do not get accomplished. But I do get A LOT accomplished and I definitely get the most IMPORTANT things accomplished.

As part of this habit (good or bad is TBD), I often leave things to the last minute and cram everything into a short period of time. This works in a lot of cases (like cramming before an exam) but it only works for "man-made" systems.

For things that follow natural law, it will NEVER work.

In re-reading the The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I came across the following:

"Did you ever consider how ridiculous it would be to try to cram on a farm—to forget to plant in the spring, play all summer and then cram in the fall to bring in the harvest? The farm is a natural system. The price must be paid and the process followed. You always reap what you sow; there is no shortcut."

For the most important things in life, the things that follow a natural process, there is no shortcut (or in today's words, there is no hack).

Instead of looking for the hack, learn and follow the process. If followed properly, it WILL work and it is much more fulfilling.

I know I need to eat healthier.

I know I need to exercise more.

I know I need to spend more time with my spouse and kids.

I know I work too much.

I know I need to sleep more.

I know I need to read more.

I know I need to meditate more.

I know I need to quit my job.

I know I need to start this new business.

I know, I know, I know...

Knowing is not enough. You need to take action.

What are you actually going to DO this year? Make 2020 a year of action.

​Brian and I are starting the year off with a bunch of recording today. Watch out 2020! Here we come!

The world is full of labels.

Passive House, Energy Star, R-2000, LEED Certified, FSC Certified, CSA Approved and HVI Certified are ones that come up often for me in the construction world.

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Paleo, Raw and Flexitarian are all labels for different types of diets (and I know there's more).

Mental disorders are a whole other game. There's a 3" thick book called the DSM-5 that explains all the shit that's "wrong" with us.

I'm not a fan of labels but I understand and appreciate the importance they play in our society.

As somebody who primarily eats a vegan and gluten-free diet, I appreciate seeing those labels.

As somebody who builds healthy and sustainable homes, I see the value in having a third party certify a home and prove that it was built to a certain standard.

When labeled with a mental disorder, it can be beneficial in the sense that the person may gain access to additional resources and realize that they are not alone.

The issue is that most of us have no idea what the labels mean.

If I were to show the general population the Passive House label, chances are they would not know what it meant. If I were to show people at a Green Building Show that same label, most people would likely recognise it but I guarantee you a lot of them would have no idea what was required to get that label.

People who do not put a lot of attention into the food they put into their bodies won't necessarily know what vegan is or where gluten comes from or what foods contain what. Personally, I'm still not sure what a paleo diet is...

Since I have no education in the mental disorder world, when I hear somebody is labeled with something specific I have to do research if I want to understand what that means (a.k.a. I ask my wife because she does have formal education here).

The other important factor to understand is that labels often only account for one aspect.

A Passive House does not mean it was built with healthy products (it puts the attention on performance).

A LEED Certified house does not mean it is energy efficient (it puts a lot of attention on materials).

A Vegan diet does not mean it's healthy (refined sugar and vegetable oil is vegan).

A diagnosis of ADHD does not mean the person is not smart or can not focus (most entrepreneurs I know would fall under this category).

Don't get caught up in the labels. Although they tell us important information, it's not the whole story.

This morning I attended a workshop. I was asked to be a part of a group to test out a pricing tool that could be used to figure out the price increase for building to NetZero Energy (a new building certification). Without getting into the nitty-gritty details, it was obvious that a lot of work and resources (and money) were put into creating this tool.

This group of people is attempting to create something for builders to help them get their homes to NetZero.

For myself, I do not see this tool being of much use for my business. Even for large builders, I'm not convinced it's going to be useful.

What's happening is a bunch of researchers are getting together and putting data together, creating spreadsheets and graphs and getting all exciting about what excites them.

But most people who buy houses are not like them...

Most people do not buy homes for logical reasons. They buy homes for emotional reasons.

In fact, most things we purchase are for emotional reasons. We may trick ourselves into thinking it's logical, but that's a lie.

If all I needed was a roof over my head, I would be living somewhere very different.

If all I needed was transportation to get from point A to point B, my vehicle would be different.

If all I needed was a good, healthy meal, I would never eat at a restaurant.

If you are in business, stop thinking about what people "should" do and starting thing about what they "actually" do.

There are some things in life that just feel good.

They feel good because I know that it's the right thing to do.

They feel good because I know the message and the lesson needs to be out in the world.

The latest episode of Lean In with Casey Grey is a feel-good episode. It's a message that needs to be shared and spread across the world. It's a story of people making a difference. Doing what they can within their community to help this world.

Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do.