The Clock and the Calling

Most of us live on autopilot — the same breakfast, the same commute, the same quiet routines.
They’re comfortable, familiar, even defining.

But not all patterns are good for us.
Some build us up; others slowly dull our soul.

The question we have to ask is simple:
Do my routines help me live a fulfilling — even great — life?

Harold Crick’s Wake-Up Call

I asked myself that question after watching Stranger Than Fiction the other night.

The main character, Harold Crick, is an IRS agent who lives his life by the clock. The narrator describes his every move down to the second. Then one day, Harold hears something impossible — the narrator’s voice describing his own life.

He tries to live with it until she says something that changes everything:
“Little did he know that this simple, seemingly innocuous act would result in his imminent death.”

That moment jolts him awake.
He begins to question the life he’s built — the routines he never chose but simply fell into.
He learns guitar. He falls in love. He begins to truly live.

Comfort vs. Greatness

Harold’s story hit me because it’s the story of so many of us: men who work hard, provide, and live decently — but without intention.

His routines were familiar and comfortable, but they kept him from living.
Our comfort can feel safe, but it comes at a cost.

As Pope Benedict XVI said:

“The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”

We were made for greatness.
That doesn’t mean fame or achievement — it means living deliberately. It’s the art of shaping your soul rather than letting the world shape it for you.

Awakening to Intentional Living

It wasn't a coincidence that I wrote about death a few weeks ago.
That truth — that we will die — shakes us awake.
It forces us to see how precious time really is.

If we aren’t intentional, we drift.
And one day, we’ll wake up near the end of our lives regretting how little we achieved.

But if we create routines that build us up — habits that point us toward God, growth, and virtue — we can reach the end of our lives filled with gratitude, not regret.

This Week’s Challenge

Take a quiet moment this week to examine your routines.
Ask yourself: Do these help me grow, or hold me back?

Find one habit that’s quietly working against you. Replace it with one that draws you closer to the man you’re called to be.

Because excellence isn’t an accident — it’s the result of living deliberately.

Forge Ahead

Anvil: the place of formation.
Arrow: the mission we’re sent on.

The world needs more men formed in virtue. Forward this to a brother who’s ready to grow.

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