August 2022

so you’re watching a wellness documentary on Netflix, when this high profile coach comes on and starts talking about the many wonders of doing push-ups, “if you can only do one exercise a day, and one thing only” they say with great importance “do push-ups.”

“done!” you think, “from now on I’m doing 10 push-ups a day!”
“…starting tomorrow”

perfect, the ego gremlin has been fed,
aren’t you such a decisive, health conscious person?
if only more people did push-ups.

the next day comes around and you do your 10 push-ups,
the second day comes around and you do another 10 push-ups,
by the fourth day you tell yourself that you probably should take a break.
and by the tenth day you vaguely remember having started this push-up challenge in the first place.

sounds familiar?

if you’re the kind of person that excels at quitting habits, stick around, I’m going to teach you how you can achieve anything.

my credentials are that I run on mountains, for “fun.”

in order to achieve anything, you only have to do one thing:

understand the relationship between discipline and motivation, and use it to your advantage.

say you wanted to pick up running…

I could tell you all about social apps dedicated to running, I could tell you about downloadable immersive stories that keep you engaged, I could even tell you about supplements.

they’re all great, but they only address half the problem.

I would not have been running for as long as I have, relying on my motivation alone.

it’s like waiting on planets to be in the right conjunction, highly unreliable.

motivation can not convince me to get laced up when it’s pouring rain outside and I would much rather stay inside.

and it will most definitely not convince me to come home at a reasonable hour because I have to run early next day.

discipline will.

over time, maintaining your discipline will become a new source of motivation, you will be motivated to stay disciplined.

discipline => motivation => discipline

you can, and should, white knuckle your way with motivation when it comes to goals that have a relatively short feedback loop: run a 5k, a 10k, a half, a marathon, different trails, beat your PR, do it blindfolded…

you need short, focused goals for motivation, and the discipline to stay on track and actually achieve them.

discipline without motivation would in time, become a burden that would eventually wear you down.
you need these quick rewards to keep it fun and enjoyable.

in layman’s terms:
motivation without discipline is unreliable.
discipline without motivation is boring.

if you have absolutely no interest in picking up running (can’t really say I blame you,) here’s a real and actionable way for you to use this new found knowledge.

losing weight, a pain point that’s made a lot of businesses a LOT of money.

most people already know you need better habits in order to lose weight,
eat less, exercise more, it truly is not rocket science.

so why do we fail to lose weight?

it’s actually very simple,
we’ve built these images in our head of what we want to look like, lean muscles, glowing skin, 9 abs,
but there’s too much time and mental distance involved to use as motivation.

in order to succeed you have to:
A. create smaller, more attainable goals for motivation.
B. discipline.

what’s easy to do is also easy not to do.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 243 of the year, there are 122 days remaining of 2022.

I like cooking but I hate to cook,
if that makes sense?

I like to chop, stir and taste, especially to taste.

I like the smell,
and the theatricality of throwing a kitchen rag over your shoulder to check on the oven.

I like playing that game at the table, where you’re forcing the other person to guess the ingredients?

“nope, it’s not thyme, try again babe, you made that joke last time”

but I hate to cook.

I particularly hate waiting.

what do I do with all of that passive time between the chopping and the checking and the tasing? (especially the tasting)

wait for another line to appear around my eyes?

why spend 2 hours cooking something that’s going to take you 2 minutes to chew? it’s highly impractical.

so anyway.

yesterday I spent 2 hours writing 520 words,

they were good words, great words even.

I wrote and re-wrote, wrote and re-wrote, wrote and re-wrote…

for the person that never asked, that’s 15 seconds per word, highly impractical.

I spent 2 hours writing a 2 minute read.

I might as well have spent my time saving fish from drowning.

It takes courage not to be discouraged.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 242 of the year, there are 123 days remaining of 2022

I wonder if this is what they mean when they talk about being in line with your higher self…

I guess it’s one of those things you don’t realize is happening until it’s passed,
like a lightning, or a silent heart attack.

for the last few months I’ve been particularly productive and fabulously creative,
(the pickings, the braincrumbs newsletter and a big secret goal are testament to that)

and while I can certainly look back and highlight a few trigger points,
I know which was the first domino piece to have fallen…

clarity.

like a dog that doesn’t stop to think what will happen if he catches the car,
I used to run and bark furiously without question, only because I knew I had to,
I enjoy being part of the pack, you see (pun fully intended)

and even though I deep down knew that keeping myself busy with shallow work was just a guise for avoiding a few critically important, but uncomfortable actions,
I kept doing it.

again and again and again…

I had reached a point in which I felt as if I was constantly lagging behind myself,
thoughts going in one direction, steps in another.

incapable of making a sure move…

yet here I am today, having swam to the other shore, flush with inspiration and the energy to create.

how fertile this time has been for me.

above all else, I wish you clarity.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

today is day 228 of the year, there are 139 days remaining of 2022.