Friday thoughts #19 - Tough love. Just do today.

Good morning my superhero colleagues!

Stop telling yourself that “This is going to me my year”!
What does history suggest? Wasn’t 2022 was going to be your year?…  and 2021? And 2020? How many years were going to be your year?
 
The problem isn’t the goals you have. There are things you want that you can achieve…

• The problem is that you lack grit and determination
• The problem is that you can’t pass a doughnut without taking a bite
• The problem is that you have ability to start but not the consistency to finish

 ...
This is the internal (and sometimes external) monologue that echoed through my mind in December last year as I contemplated yet another awesome plan for the summer body.
Almost every fresh start I had, every attempt at getting control of my exercise and nutrition routine has at some point collapsed. Something I was doing was wrong, how could I make this one stick?
 
I thought about a time when my exercise routine was most successful. 
2016-18 I feel was my best… (Those are the photos that I was catfishing with on my Tinder profile in 2021)
But what made that period work for me, and how could I replicate it for 2023?
 
The answer is “Just do today”
That period was quite unstable for me. I was contracting with short term gigs… Triple simultaneous careers in engineering, bodyguarding, and instructing around Europe, N.Africa and India… My days felt varied but hectic. What got me into the gym, eating right, reading more, studying more was the thought that I might not be able to tomorrow. So “just do today” became a kind of morning mantra in kick starting my day and doing what was necessary. As the pace of life eased off, I was still applying “just do today” every morning. This built up an extended consistency streak with the rewards that followed.
 
So from January 2023 I have reapplied that template.
A single day plan… on repeat.
And so far in 2023 I have had sixty-nine morning workouts, and eight lunchtime workouts. 
All of them started with the 0545 alarm going off and my mind controlling my (second) thought to repeat “Just do today”.
 
I strongly suggest you to try it… “Just do today”.
A single day plan is easy to do. We can all cope with that.

• You can be a vegetarian for a day
• You can workout once today
• You can avoid sugar for a day
• You can read instead of Netflix/HBO just for today
• You can work on a passion project just for an hour today

 
Put that mindset on repeat. Day by day. They add up. Forget about yesterday and restart every day.
 
Small, smart changes: Whatever your goal is whatever you want to make progress towards. But act now but just do today.
 
B