It’s human nature to adapt to your surroundings. Here’s an example: Now that I’m living in Florida, having spent time in the upper Midwest, my impression of a cold day is clearly different to that of someone who’s spent their entire life in a warm-weather climate. When it’s 69 degrees, I think, “Nice day.” At the same time, a native Floridian is donning a heavy coat.
Now, will there come a time when I’m reaching for a heavier coat when the temperature dips below 70? Possibly. I may adapt and have the same sensation as the warm-weather native. But I’m doing cold plunges, so I’m shifting my relationship to cold. I’m generating an adaptive response when the protocol changes.
Our bodies, minds, and spirits are amazing. However, we often don’t test them or train the figurative muscles of self-discipline.
I’ve challenged some of our clients to specifically do a hard thing – for some, it’s the cold plunge. For me, it’s working out and CrossFit. As soon as you pick a hard thing, your brain is going to argue. It’s a challenge. Avoidance is easier, and your brain always wants the path of least resistance. Challenges are hard… and that’s the point.
If you want to be happy and engaged, you need challenges. It’s a structured, conscious way to fulfill your own wiring. You’re reading this, so I know you are hard-wired for challenges. And achievers need challenges that lead to success.
The more you challenge yourself, the more you win. While a cold plunge may seem to have nothing to do with your business, taking it on challenges your will. And accomplishing any hard thing is fulfilling. You accomplish what you said you’d accomplish. There’s certainly fulfillment with that. Think of it as mental training. It’s honing your self-discipline. The skill ultimately translates to business activities.
Now my “hard thing,” will likely be different from yours. For some, it might be a media blackout – no news, no social media – replacing that with educational reading or podcasts. Perhaps you’ll have two or three hard things that you alternate.
I want you to approach this day by day, so that each day, you accomplish your hard thing; it’s a victory. You win. You may miss a day or two, but instead of adopting the attitude that you’ve blown the whole week, re-set for the next day. Get back on the horse and challenge yourself again.
For some, taking the cold turkey approach to the hard thing may be impossible. That’s okay. Take the first step. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Take the bite. Enjoy the achievement.
Listen to the podcast: Do Hard Sh*T
