When was the last time you were intently aware of the asphalt that lined the streets of your town? As many luxuries in Western culture are easily taken for granted, I would opine that asphalt might possibly be at the top of this invisible list. Driving through our regular routine, we notice many things through the windshield of our vehicle; however, unless there is a problem such as a pothole, our attention is focused on other drivers, the traffic signals, the thoughts playing through our mind, and a myriad of other matters as the rubber tires glide along the blacktop. Unless of course you happen to be on Vann Drive anytime between November and January, then the tires stay mostly silent as you inch along.

While reviewing notes taken during the reading of H3 Leadership, Lomenick’s use of a distinct phrase resonated in a unique way with me as the pilgrimage to determining the qualities exhibited by flourishing professionals continues. As Lomenick describes his experience “working with the best and most respected leaders in America” and the occurrence that they “share a common set of characteristics” which we will explore at a later time, he shares the phrase, “The path to being a better leader is paved with the asphalt of the habits we develop.” In my way of thinking, these habits that flourishing leaders have instilled in their lives become like the asphalt we drive on every day in that they are such a part of their personhood, they blend into the natural environment.

Lomenick’s perspective that successful people use “time and hard work to develop the habits necessary to get better at their craft” is consistent with most of my reading lately whether one is addressing the issue of professional success such as earning a leadership position or a more personal viewpoint of practicing the Spiritual disciplines. So, whether one chooses to use the term habit or discipline, the concept becomes a border piece in the conceptual puzzle of creating a flourishing life. Small, deliberate activities are enmeshed into a regular routine which ultimately leads to a “lifetime habit of growth” as described in People Fuel by John Townsend.

Townsend continues, “If you have productive habits, positive thoughts, the right core values, and healthy emotional expression in important relationships in which you can be vulnerable, be yourself, and disagree and solve problems, those are good indicators of a healthy, happy [flourishing] life. Not a perfect one but one anyone would want. And that is the vision for where life should go.” Paving your path with good habits is also an essential element to engage in deep work as described by Cal Newport. “The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and rituals to your working life designed to minimize the amount of your limited willpower necessary to transition into and maintain a state of unbroken concentration.”

Whether discussing the view out the windshield for an emerging adult or the perspective from the rearview mirror of an experienced mentor, the journey to a life of significance and meaning is paved with the asphalt of good habits. From the Thrive Principle to Maintain Healthy Habits and Boundaries in Thriving at College to Sasse’s “five ways to cultivate character-building habits in children,” we are all encouraged, at any age, to embrace good habits, even small ones, on our pilgrimage through life.

From Teaching and Christian Imagination, “As a wise teacher once said, ‘We don’t move toward Heaven in one gigantic, decisive step after another. We move in small, repetitive, cumulative patterns-learning to make a habit of what we do well, and repenting, again and again, what we do badly.’ Pilgrimage, in other words, is a life lesson in revision. And to their great comfort, pilgrims make these small, repetitive patterns in the company of others. My circumference of ignorance bumps up against your circle of knowledge, and in this way we both grow and change and move forward.” Continuing the emphasis on creating relational equity between generations, we see the patterns of modeling and developing good habits paving the blacktop which culminates in a flourishing life.

Please feel free to share below some good habits that you think lead to a flourishing life either professionally or personally.