A week ago, I began the 20/20/20 process based on Robin Sharma’s book The 5 a.m. Club.
In a nutshell, you commit for 66 days to get up at 5 a.m. and do a process that includes 20 minutes each of:
1. Exercise
2. Journaling
3. Reading or watching something to enhance your mind, body, spirit.
In that I have been doing Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning for well over a year AND I get up by 4:44 a.m. every day (at least 90% of the time) I figured it would be a walk in the park…until this morning. I didn’t “feel” like getting up. For about a minute I lay in bed, convinced one day of not doing the 20/20./20 would make that much difference.
Well, it DOES make a difference. What we do in private is far more important than what we do publicly. It didn’t take more than a minute or two to realize that letting this commitment slide, even for a day, was setting the tone for many other habits I am developing.
Habits Are Essential
Whether it’s a habit around Plant Based Eating, exercise, business, meditating, writing or whatever I personally commit to, it’s about consistent action.
Anything you say you want, you have to be willing to go through the times when you just don’t feel like taking the action.
For well over a year, I’ve been following the works of Mel Robbins. She talks a lot about the need to do things even when (especially when) we don’t feel like it. According to Mel, our greatest success resides on the other side of “I don’t feel like it.”
Plant Based Commitment
When I committed to eating plant based nearly 10 months ago, I did so with every intention of sticking with it. And I have. But the fact is, I could have easily given up on the commitment if I didn’t feel like eating healthy.
There’s a reason the diet industry is a multi billion dollar industry. People want quick fixes. Sure, they say they want to eat healthy, but then when they don’t “feel” like sticking with their healthy eating protocol, they quickly forget their commitment.
What I’ve discovered by committing to the 20/20/20 process is this; I may not feel like getting up and jumping right into 20 minutes of exercise in my front room, followed by writing and reading, but when I finish I have a strong sense of accomplishment.
It is this feeling of accomplishment (or lack thereof) that sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Our life is simply a culmination of our days. Our days are micro views of our life. How we conduct ourselves today, determines the quality of our tomorrows.
Add up enough days and tomorrows and you have an amazing life. What is your commitment to your life? Whatever it is, what you do each and every day determines the outcome.
So very true! I’m doing a 100-Day Plan where there are 8 things I’ve committed to doing every. single. day. Want to or not.
As part of that Plan, I created 3 100-Day Goals: 2 business and one personal and am including tracking of those goals as part of the plan. Whenever I feel a twinge of “not in the mood”, I look at my tracker and am immediately re-inspired and it’s a commitment that is private (except for this posting).
The only person who will know that I did/didn’t do something is me and that’s enough — our days are our weeks are our months are our years. 🙂
Well said, Sandra. It’s so true that ultimately, our outcomes are up to us. Thanks for your comments.
Your enthusiasm, and the research you’ve shared, inspire me. Except, I guess I’m lazy. I feel old. I sleep in till 8:00 and then feel guilty. Part of my problem is that I don’t think I can do this. I’m over 65. How much harder is it, for those of us over that milestone of 60?
Great question Yvonne. And like anything, when we really want something, we will find a way. As a 65 year old woman, I made a choice. Simple as that. And I make the choice daily. In the beginning it was more difficult. Now it is a part of what I do as a standard health practice. I feel better as a result of how I eat, my morning routines and what I consume through what I read and watch. To make the process easier, join communities where there is support for the type of lifestyle change you want to make. Surrounding ourselves with like-minded people helps… a lot.
Choose the life you want and each day, be willing to take the actions to move you closer to what you want.
Not always easy, but definitely worth it.