Today was one of those days!⠀
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Not feeling a workout.⠀
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Too hot for everything.⠀
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Simply unmotivated to do much.⠀
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Anyone else?⠀
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On days like this, I remind myself that I am forever working to master the art of showing up. ⠀
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It’s not always going to be easy. But the trick is this: Follow the 5 min rule. ⠀
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Simply practice being in the habit you wish to achieve, if only for 5 minutes.⠀
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Writing, cleaning, organizing, training, meditating, journaling, whatever it is I want to continue or establish as part of my routine, I commit just 5 minutes. Even if I stop (I rarely do), I have at least executed the action to some degree, which lays another paver in the foundation of the identity I want to build.⠀
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See, every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. Those votes add up over time. ⠀
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You create this identity by consistently building evidence supporting the fact that you ARE a person who does what they say they are going to do. That’s called integrity. Accountability. And over time, it manifests itself in showing up even when it is hard!⠀
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Belief without evidence can run dangerously close to delusion. ‘Believing’ you are having one tbsp of peanut butter when you dip a soup spoon in the jar or ‘believing’ you are getting stronger without actually tracking your training volume. ⠀
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Further, belief without action, or anything you simply ‘tell yourself,’ is another form of spinning your wheels. Think living in a ‘dieting mindset’ vs. actually living in a deficit. Both will burn you out, but only ONE will bring you results.⠀
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So cast that Vote. Give yourself evidence. Eventually you are just acting in alignment with how you see yourself already to be. The behavior is integrated into your identity. And it is easier to maintain now that it’s as much a part of you as going to work or washing your hands. ⠀
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Next time you feel that friction pulling you away from the action that aligns with your goal, hit the override button, take 5 minutes and GO. ⠀
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Even if you don’t fire on all cylinders or stop completely after 5 minutes, you WIN because you’ve sent a signal to your brain that you are a person who DOES THIS IMPORTANT THING.⠀
